Info

Lithuania

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Boundary Delimitation

BD001

Delimitation of constituencies

Question:	Are constituencies delimited for election purposes?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:	Parliamentary, Presidential Elections and referendums are performed in specially created constituencies but the Municipal Elections are held according to administrative boundaries. For the organisation and conduct of elections, the territory of the Republic of Lithuania shall be divided into 71 single-member constituencies, taking into consideration the number of inhabitants in the constituency, the division of the territory of the Republic of Lithuania into single-member constituencies during previous elections to the Seimas, and the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Lithuania
Source:	Formation of Constituencies, article 9 Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 9(1)
Verified:	2002/09/11

BD003

Criteria for drawing boundaries

Question:	On what criteria are the boundaries drawn?
Answer(s):	a. "Equality" of population b. Respecting natural barriers c. Compactness of constituencies d. Conformity with local jurisdiction boundaries e. Geographic size of district
Comments:	For the organisation and conduct of elections, the territory of the Republic of Lithuania shall be divided into 71 single-member constituencies, taking into consideration the number of inhabitants in the constituency, the division of the territory of the Republic of Lithuania into single-member constituencies during previous elections to the Seimas, and the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Lithuania.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 9(2)
Verified:	2002/08/30

BD005

Body responsible for drawing boundaries

Question:	The body responsible for drawing the boundaries is:
Answer(s):	d. Boundary Commission
Comments:
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 14(2)
Verified:	2002/08/30

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Electoral Systems

ES001

Head of State

Question:	How is the Head of State selected?
Answer(s):	c. Directly elected in general elections (absolute majority with 2nd round if necessary)
Comments:	The President is elected if he/she on the 1st round collects more than 1/2 votes and at least 1/2 of the voters participated. If less than 1/2 of the voters participated the winner has to collect 1/3 of all votes. If no candidate gets the majority of the votes there has to be a 2nd round - so called repeated voting. The winner of it has to get simple majority of the votes.
Source:	Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, article 81
Verified:	2002/09/12

ES002

Head of Government

Question:	How is the Head of Government selected?
Answer:	e. Appointed
Comments:
Source:	Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, article 92
Verified:	2002/08/30

ES003

President

Question:	Does the country have a president?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, article 77-78
Verified:	2002/08/30

ES004

Number of Chambers

Question:	The national legislature consists of (one/two chambers):
Answer:	a. One chamber
Comments:	The Seimas shall consist of 141 representatives of the people who shall be elected for a four-year term.
Source:	Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, article 55
Verified:	2002/08/30

ES005

Electoral System (Chamber 1)

Question:	What is the electoral system for Chamber 1 of the national legislature?
Answer(s):	e. Parallel (Segmented) (PR Lists and Majoritarian constituencies)
Comments:	The Seimas consists of 141 representatives who are elected for a 4 year term: 71 in single-member constituencies, 70 in a multi-member constituency. The two-round system is used for the single-member seats.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 9 Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, article 55
Verified:	2002/09/11

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Legislative Framework

LF001

Status of Electoral Law

Question:	What is the status of the electoral law governing national elections?
Answer(s):	a. Part of Constitution b. Separate legislation
Comments:
Source:	Constitution, Law on Elections to the Seimas, Presidential Election Act and Municipal Election Act, Referendum Act.
Verified:	2002/09/12

LF003

Electoral Law covers

Question:	The national electoral law covers:
Answer(s):	a. National elections c. Local elections d. Referendums
Comments:	Separate documents based on the regulation of the Constitution.
Source:	Vaidotas Bacevicius, Member of the Central Electoral Committee, bacevicius.vaidotas@gmail.com
Verified:	2006/11/21

LF004

Compulsory/voluntary voting

Question:	Is voting on the national level voluntary or compulsory?
Answer(s):	a. Voting is voluntary
Comments:	a) Voting is treated as a right of a citizen.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 2(1)
Verified:	2006/11/21

LF007

Electoral Disputes Agency(ies)

Question:	What are the agency(ies) responsible for the first level of formal electoral disputes?
Answer(s):	b. EMB
Comments:	The higher level Electoral Committee. These are Central, Constituency and Polling District Electoral Committees. Decision of the Central Electoral Committee might be appealed to the Parliament or the President, who can bring the case to the Constitutional Court. The decision of the polling district committee on the list of voters may be appealed to the administrative court /tribunal. The decisions of the Central Electoral Committee may be revised only by the Central Electoral Committee itself or by an effective court ruling.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 86
Verified:	2006/11/21

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Electoral Management

EM001

Please provide the following contact information for the national electoral management body:

Name of Institution: Central Elections Committee
Website Address: www.vrk.lt

Source

No Source

Verified

2009/11/05

(Found a mistake? Please let us know.)

EM002

Responsibility of national EMB

Question:	Does the national electoral body have the responsibility for elections at:
Answer(s):	a. National level c. Local level
Comments:	a.) Parliamentary, Presidential elections and Referendums c.) Municipal elections
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, articles 11-12 Law on the Central Electoral Committee (adopted in 20.06.2002), article 3.
Verified:	2008/01/21

EM004

EMB budget determined by

Question:	The budget of the national electoral management body is determined by:
Answer(s):	c. The legislature
Comments:	Seimas sets the budget of state (including financing of the CEC).
Source:	Law on the Central Electoral Committee, article 20 Law on the Structure of the Budget; Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, article 67
Verified:	2008/01/21

EM005

EMB expenditures controlled by

Question:	The expenditures of the national electoral management body are controlled by:
Answer(s):	d. A national government department
Comments:	The National Auditing Office.
Source:	Vaidotas Bacevicius, Member of the Central Electoral Committee, bacevicius.vaidotas@gmail.com
Verified:	2002/09/11

EM006

Term of EMB members

Question:	The term of the members of the national electoral management body is:
Answer:	b. For a specified number of years
Comments:	The members of the Central Electoral Committee (CEC) and the Chairman of the CEC are appointed by the Seimas for a 4-years term. The Seimas shall form the Central Electoral Committee for a four-year period no later than 100 days and no earlier than 130 days in advance of regular elections to the Seimas. The Central Electoral Committee shall not be newly formed before early elections to the Seimas; it shall retain its powers until the Central Electoral Committee is formed before regular elections to the Seimas.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 12(2)
Verified:	2008/01/21

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Voter Education

VE001

Information campaigns performed by

Question:	Who conducts information campaigns for national elections (informing where, when and how to register and/or vote)?
Answer(s):	a. National Electoral Management Body b. Regional Electoral Management Bodies c. Local/County Electoral Management Bodies i. Media
Comments:
Source:	Vaidotas Bacevicius, Member of the Central Electoral Committee, bacevicius.vaidotas@gmail.com
Verified:	2002/08/30

VE002

Frequency of voter education programs

Question:	At the national level, how often are voter education programs conducted?
Answer:	b. Election time only
Comments:
Source:	Vaidotas Bacevicius, Member of the Central Electoral Committee, bacevicius.vaidotas@gmail.com
Verified:	2002/08/30

VE003

National civic education

Question:	Is there a national civic education campaign (rights and responsibilities of citizens)?
Answer(s):	b. Yes, conducted by the National Electoral Management Body c. Yes, conducted by the Regional Electoral Management Bodies d. Yes, conducted by the Local/County Electoral Management Bodies
Comments:
Source:	Vaidotas Bacevicius, Member of the Central Electoral Committee, bacevicius.vaidotas@gmail.com
Verified:	2002/08/30

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Voter Registration

VR001

Voting age

Question:	What is the legal voting age in the national elections?
Answer:	c. 18
Comments:	Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who, on the day of the election, are 18 years of age shall have the right to vote.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 2(1) Universal Suffrage, article 2
Verified:	2002/09/11

VR002

Other voting requirements

Question:	Beyond age, what other qualifications exist for registering to vote and voting in the national elections?
Answer(s):	a. Citizenship b. Period of Residence
Comments:
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 2(1), Municipal Election Act, article 2
Verified:	2002/08/30

VR004

Body responsible for voter registration

Question:	Which is the authority responsible for the registration of voters for national elections?
Answer:	d. Election Management Body (specify)
Comments:	Central Election Committee
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 25(5)
Verified:	2002/08/30

VR008

Compulsory voter registration

Question:	Is it compulsory to be on the voters register?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:	This is done automatically and is the responsibility of the local government. If the voter is not on the register on the election day she/he can provide an identity document with address of the residence in order to get on the register and vote in a proper constituency.
Source:	Law on elections to the Seimas, articles: 25 to 28, 32 and 35
Verified:	2002/09/11

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Voting Operations

VO003

Electors vote at

Question:	Where can electors vote?
Answer(s):	a. At a specified polling station in the locality where they are registered at national elections f. By mail
Comments:
Source:	Law on elections to the Seimas, article 62, 67, 67(1)
Verified:	2002/09/12

VO004

Voting outside the country is permitted for

Question:	Who can vote from outside the country?
Answer(s):	b. Citizens residing outside the country c. Citizens outside the country (including those on vacation) d. Members of the armed forces f. Diplomatic staff
Comments:
Source:	Law on elections to the Seimas, article 67-74
Verified:	2002/08/30

VO005

Locations for voting outside of the country

Question:	If voting outside the country is permitted, at what places?
Answer(s):	a. Embassies b. Consulates c. Special polling stations
Comments:	c.) For example on boats.
Source:	Law on elections to the Seimas,article 67-72
Verified:	2002/08/30

VO011

Voting method

Question:	How do electors cast their votes?
Answer(s):	a. Manually marking of ballots
Comments:	Having been handed ballot papers, the voter shall go into the polling booth and mark the ballot papers. It shall be prohibited to mark ballot papers outside the polling booth.
Source:	Parliamentary Election Act, article 66(1) Voting Procedure, article 66
Verified:	2002/09/11

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Parties and Candidates

PC001

Registration requirements for parties (Chamber 1)

Question:	What are the registration requirements for political parties running for national elections (Chamber 1)?
Answer(s):	b. Deposit requirement (specify amount) e. Minimum number of candidates
Comments:	b.) 1 AMW per candidate on the list (this means one monthly wage, that is equal to 2052 Litas and approximately 594 EUR at the moment) e.) 25 candidates is the minimum (141 is the maximum which is the number of the candidates in the Seimas)
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, articles 37-39, 41
Verified:	2006/11/15

PC003

Registration requirements for candidates (Chamber 1)

Question:	What are the legal qualifications to become a candidate at legislative elections (Chamber 1)?
Answer(s):	a. Age b. Citizenship d. Residence f. Registration
Comments:	a.) 25 years old. d.) Permanent residence in Lithuania.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 2
Verified:	2006/11/15

PC008

Independent candidates

Question:	Can independent candidates compete in presidential or legislative elections?
Answer(s):	e. In both presidential and legislative elections
Comments:
Source:	Presidential Electoral Act, article 31(1) Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 37(1-2)
Verified:	2006/11/15

PC012

Public funding of parties

Question:	Do political parties receive direct/indirect public funding?
Answer(s):	b. Direct c. Indirect
Comments:	b.) Campaigns shall be financed from State funds as well as from the funds raised by political parties and political organisations, and citizens and candidates to the office of President of the Republic and which shall be accumulated in special accounts for Elections of the President of the Republic in the Savings Bank of Lithuania as well as its branches. c.) Campaigns shall also be financed from the State funds. A candidate, a party shall not pay for the time allotted to them on state, municipal radio and television under this Law, for the printing of campaign poster for a candidate in a single-member constituency, also for publishing an election program, lists of candidates in newspapers, and these expenditures shall not change the maximum permitted amount in the special election account.
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, 2000 , article 51; Law on Financing of Political Parties and Political Campaigns, as well as Control over such Financing article 13;15
Verified:	2006/11/15

PC015

Basis of public funding

Question:	What is the basis of the public funding?
Answer(s):	b. Based on result of previous election
Comments:	The threshold for receiving direct public funding is representation in the Seimas. Indirect funding is equal.
Source:	Law on Financing of Political Parties and Political Campaigns, as well as Control over such Financing, 2004, article 13; 15.
Verified:	2006/11/15

PC017

Private funding of parties

Question:	Are political parties entitled to private funding?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:	Those who desire to support a list of candidates or a candidate must do this by transferring funds to special election accounts.
Source:	Law on Financing of Political Parties and Political Campaigns, as well as Control over such Financing, 2004, article 10; 11; 12.
Verified:	2006/11/15

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Vote Counting

VC004

Voters are sorted/counted at

Question:	Following the close of the voting, where are the votes first sorted and counted?
Answer:	a. The polling stations
Comments:
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 76
Verified:	2009/11/04

VC011

Conditions for recount

Question:	Under what conditions are ballots recounted?
Answer(s):	d. By request e. Court order
Comments:
Source:	Law on Elections to the Seimas, article 77-5; 82-6; 86-4;6
Verified:	2009/11/04

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Media and Elections

ME037

Parties receive free broadcast time based on

Question:	What are the criteria for allocating free broadcast time and/or free printed advertisement space to political parties?
Answer(s):	a. Equal regardless of size of party and previous performance
Comments:
Source:	Law on elections to the Seimas, article 51.
Verified:	2005/03/29

ME059

Existence of televised debates

Question:	Are televised debates between candidates or party representatives normally conducted?
Answer(s):	a. Yes, in presidential elections b. Yes, in legislative elections
Comments:
Source:
Verified:	2005/03/29

ME062

Blackout period for opinion polls

Question:	What is the blackout period, if any, during which results of pre-election opinion polls may not be released to the public?
Answer:	a. 1 day
Comments:	30 hours before the beginning of an election and on the election day until the closing of the polls.
Source:	Law on elections to the Seimas, article 56.
Verified:	2005/03/29

ME080

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Direct Democracy

DD002

Direct Democracy Provisions (National Level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Direct Democracy Procedures at the national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:	Referendum Law art 5: "Consultative (deliberative) referendums may be held with respect to other issues of utmost importance to the State and the People, regarding which it is not necessary to hold a mandatory referendum, they are being proposed for a referendum by 300 thousand citizens having the right to vote or the Seimas."
Source:	Law on referendum, 2002, article 4-5. Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2006/11/17

DD003

Mandatory referendums (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Mandatory Referendums at the national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Constitution, 1992, Section 9; Law on referendum, 2002. Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/21

DD004

Optional referendums (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Optional Referendums at the national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Constitution, 1992, Section 9; Law on referendum, 2002. Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/21

DD005

Citizens' Initiatives (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Citizen’s Initiatives at national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Constitution, 1992, Section 9; Law on referendum, 2002. Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/21

DD006

Agenda Initiatives (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Agenda Initiatives at national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Constitution, 1992, Section 9; Law on referendum, 2002. Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/21

DD007

Recalls (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Recalls at national level?
Answer:	b. No
Comments:
Source:	Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23

DD129

Binding referenda

Question:	Are the results of referenda always binding, never binding or sometimes binding?
Answer:	b. Sometimes binding
Comments:
Source:	Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23

DD130

National referenda deal with

Question:	Are the types of issues to vote upon in a referendum constitutional changes only, other issues only or both constitutional and other issues?
Answer:	c. Both constitutional and other issues
Comments:
Source:	Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23

DD131

Direct Democracy at sub-national level

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Direct Democracy at sub-national levels (regional or local)?
Answer:	b. No
Comments:
Source:	Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23