Government of the Republic of Lithuania ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybė ) is the cabinet of Lithuania , exercising executive power in the country. Among other responsibilities, it executes laws and resolutions of the parliament, the Seimas , and the decrees of the President , and the President, executes the foreign policy of the country. The Government also has the right to legislative initiative, put together the state budget and presents it to the Seimas for approval.
The Government consists of the prime minister , who is the head of government , and 14 government ministers .
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, with the assent of the Seimas. The Prime Minister then forms the rest of the cabinet, with the assent of the President, and the Government and its program to approval by the Seimas.
The current Government , the 17th Government since independence in 1990, started work in December 2016 and is headed by Saulius Skvernelis as the Prime Minister. Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and Social Democratic Party of Lithuania form the government.
Government mandate
The Government of the Republic of Lithuania exercises executive power in Lithuania. The powers of the Government are defined by the Constitution and laws of Lithuania. [1] [2]
The Government has the responsibility to administer the affairs of the country, ensure its security and public order. It executes laws and resolutions of the Seimas as well as the decrees of the President. The government places the activities of the ministries and other subordinate institutions, establishes, abolishes and controls government agencies, and submits proposals to the Seimas to establish and abolish ministries. [3] The government disposes of the property of the state and establishes procedures for its management and use.
The Government, along with the Seimas and the President, has the right of legislative initiative in Lithuania. The government prepares draft laws and presents them to the Seimas for consideration. The government also prepares a draft budget and submits it to the Seimas. The Government executes the budget approved by the Seimas.
In foreign affairs, the government establishes diplomatic relations and maintains relations with foreign states and international organizations. The Government shares the responsibility for managing the affairs of the country with the President. The Government proposes and the President approves Lithuania’s diplomatic representatives to foreign states and international institutions.
In local government, the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United States of America.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, with the assent of the Seimas. Likewise, the ministers are proposed by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President. Within 15 days of the appointment, the Prime Minister presents the Government and its program to the Seimas for consideration. The Government receives its mandate after the Seimas gives its program in a majority vote.
The Government is responsible for the Seimas for its activities. Likewise, the minister is responsible for the Seimas and the President. The Government presents to the Seimas an annual report on its activities [4] and reports to the Seimas on the execution of the budget. Upon the request of the Seimas, the Government or individual ministers must give an account of their activities. The Government is also obliged to inform the public about their activities through the internet and other media, or through meetings with the people.
The Government Returns to the President after the Seimas elections or the elections of the President, or the resignation of the Government. The return of the president of the presidential election is one of the most important elements of government accountability. [5]The Government is obligated to resign when the Seimas are in a state of the art, when the Seimas, in a secret ballot, express no confidence in the Government or the Prime Minister, when the Prime Minister resigns or dies, or when a new government is formed after the elections to the Seimas. If the Seimas expresses no confidence in the Government, the Government may propose to the President to hold a new election to the Seimas.
The President of Lithuania accepts the resignation of individual ministers. Ministers must resign when the Seimas, in a secret ballot, express no-confidence in them. When more than half of the ministers are changed, the government must seek a mandate from the Seimas or resign.
Structure
The government of the Republic of Lithuania consists of the Prime Minister and the ministers. The Prime Minister represents the Government and heads its activities. When the Prime Minister is unable to attend, the President may charge one of the ministers to substitute for the Prime Minister for more than 60 days. [4]
A ministry heads his respective ministry, resolving issues. Ministers act directly subordinate to the Prime Minister. Another member of the Government, appointed by the Prime Minister, may substitute for a Minister.
Ministries
Ministries are the structures that allow the ministers to manage the fields assigned to them. [4] [6] Ministries are funded by the state budget.
There are 14 ministries in Lithuania:
| Ministry | Area of responsibility |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Agriculture | Agriculture, food industry and fisheries. [7] |
| Ministry of Culture | Cultural and public information policies, copyright, libraries, museums and galleries, cultural and reading promotion, conservation and digitizing cultural heritage, literature and publishing, music, theater, visual arts and film. [8] |
| Ministry of Economy | Business environment, investment, export, innovation, state-owned enterprises, structural support, public procurement, tourism. [9] |
| Ministry of Education and Science | Formal and non-formal education, science and studies. [10] |
| Ministry of Energy | Fuel, electricity, thermo-energy production and supply. [11] |
| Ministry of Environment | Environmental protection, forestry, utilization of natural resources, geology and hydrometeorology, territorial planning, construction, provision of residents with housing, utilities and housing. [12] |
| Ministry of Finance | Budget, taxation, state debt management, financial services, accounting and reporting, internal audit and internal control, renewal of the state-owned immovable property and Public and Private Partnership. [13] |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Foreign relations and diplomatic network, consular services, international organizations, strategic international projects. [14] |
| Ministry of Health | Health care services, public health, health insurance, patient rights, pharmacy. [15] |
| Ministry of the Interior | Public safety, state protection, state of the art, civil protection, migration, reform of the public administration and state governance system, development of local governance, regional development. [16] |
| Ministry of Justice | Legislative process, registers, legal institutions, legal professions, criminal justice, registration of political parties, regulation of religious communities and associations, registration of civil status, civil disputes, protection of industrial property, forensics, consumer rights, compensation to violent crime victims. [17] |
| Ministry of National Defense | National Defense System, including policy, training, management, military service and mobilization, intelligence and counterintelligence, international co – operation of institutions of the national defense system, military standardization. [18] |
| Ministry of Social Security and Labor | Family and children, social integration, labor and employment, social insurance, gender equality, youth policy. [19] |
| Ministry of Transport and Communications | Roads and road transport, rail transport, water transport, air transport, traffic safety, transit and logistics, transport environment and transport of dangerous goods, transport accident and incident investigation, information society development, electronic communications, post. [20] |
Institutions under the Government
Government agencies are established to participate in the shaping of a policy and to implement such policy. Government agencies are public bodies financed from the state budget.
Government agencies and institutions accountable to the government are: [21]
- Civil Service Department
- Department of Physical Education and Sports
- Office of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania
- State Data Protection Inspectorate
- Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control
- Department of Statistics
- State Food and Veterinary Service
- Commission on Tax Disputes
- State Enterprise Turto Bankas
- State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate
- The Chief Administrative Disputes Commission
- The Communications Regulatory Authority
- Public Procurement Office
Government operations
The Government resolves the affairs of state and its sittings by adopting the resolutions of the Government of Canada. The Auditor General may also participate in the sittings of the Government. Minutes are taken and audio recordings are made of governmental sittings, however, the government sittings are universally and universally broadcast. [22]
A Government resolution adopted by the Prime Minister and the Minister of the corresponding branch of the Government.
The Prime Minister and the Ministers are also entitled to sit on the Committee of the Senate, its Committees, Commissions and public groups, and to convey their views on the issues under consideration.
The Prime Minister and the other may be employed in the business, commercial and other private establishments or enterprises, and may not receive any remuneration other than the salary for their respective Government offices. The members of the Government can, however, receive remuneration for creative activities.
The Office of the Government supports the Government in its role. The Office of the Government is headed by the Chancellor of the Government. [23] Milda Dargužaitė has served as the Chancellor since 2016.
Current government
In December 13, 2016 Saulius Skvernelis , who had the leadership of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union , was appointed Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania since the restoration of independence in 1990. The Government was formed after the elections to Seimas in October 2016 and the subsequent coalition agreement between the Peasants and Greens and Social Democrats .
The following ministers are members of the Skvernelis Cabinet :
| Position | name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of Agriculture | Bronius Markauskas | Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union | |
| Minister of Culture | Liana Ruokytė-Jonsson | Independent | |
| Minister of Economy | Virginijus Sinkevičius | Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union | |
| Minister of Education and Science | Jurgita Petrauskienė | Independent | |
| Minister of Energy | Žygimantas Vaičiūnas | Independent | |
| Minister of Environment | Kestutis Navickas | Independent | |
| Minister of Finance | Vilius Šapoka | Independent | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Linas Antanas Linkevičius | Independent | |
| Minister of Health | Aurelijus Veryga | Independent | |
| Minister of the Interior | Eimutis Misiūnas | Independent | |
| Minister of Justice | Milda Vainiutė | Independent | |
| Minister of National Defense | Raimondas Karoblis | Independent | |
| Minister of Social Security and Labor | Linas Kukuraitis | Independent | |
| Minister of Transport and Communications | Rokas Masiulis | Independent |
Previous governments
The current government of Lithuania is the 16th since the declaration of independence on 11 March 1990.
Kazimiera Prunskienė became the first Prime Minister of newly independent Lithuania, appointed by the Supreme Council on March 17, 1990, the law governing the mandate of the government was only adopted on March 22. [24] Albertas Šimėnas , Gediminas Vagnorius , Aleksandras Abišala , Her government resigned less than a year later . These are the first and second most important positions of the Soviet Union . [25]
Following the first election to the Seimas , Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania formed the government headed by Bronislovas Lubys , prominent industrialist, who headed the government before the first presidential election and was followed by Adolfas Šleževičius . [26] His government has been preoccupied with ensuring the monetary stability of the country, following years of high inflation. Šleževičius was forced to resign in February 1996, a collapse. [27] Laurynas Stankevičius was appointed in his stead.
The 1996 parliamentary election was won by the Homeland Union . The government was formed by the Homeland Union and Lithuanian Christian Democrats , with Gediminas Vagnorius appointed as Prime Minister for the second time. In spring 2009, the Government survived the vote of no-confidence in the Seimas, but resigned shortly thereafter, [28] with the popular then-mayor of Vilnius Rolandas Paksas appointed to the post of Prime Minister. His government lasted only 5 months, before he made the most of the contract and refused to sign the privatization agreement for Mazeikiu Nafta oil refinery, resigning as a result. [29] Andrius Kubiliusserved as the prime minister from November 1999 until the next election in Seimas in October 2000 .
The election resulted in Rolandas Paksas, now part of the Liberal Union of Lithuania , serving as Prime Minister for the second time. His government, formed together with New Union (Social Liberals) , lasted only seven months before being brought down by disagreements within the coalition. [29] New Union then joined the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania , with Algirdas Brazauskas as Prime Minister.
Algirdas Brazauskas became the first Prime Minister of Lithuania to remain in power after the Seimas election in 2004 , forming the 13th Government with New Union and Labor Party . The Government resigned in May 2006, citing difficulties in working with the opposition. [30] Gediminas Kirkilas served as the Prime Minister until the next election in the Seimas in 2008 . [31]
The coalition of Homeland Union, Liberal Movement , Liberal and Union Center and the short-lived National Resurrection Party formed the 15th government of Lithuania , with Andrius Kubilius as Prime Minister for the second time. Despite the deep economic crisis and taking unpopular decisions, his Government became the first Lithuanian government to the last of the parliament. [32]
| Government | Prime Minister | Party of the Prime Minister | Term Started | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Government | Kazimiera Prunskienė | Independent (endorsed by Sąjūdis ) | March 17, 1990 | |
| 2nd Government | Albertas Šimėnas | Independent (endorsed by Sąjūdis ) | 10 January 1991 | |
| 3rd Government | Gediminas Vagnorius | Independent (endorsed by Sąjūdis ) | 13 January 1991 | |
| 4th Government | Aleksandras Abišala | Independent (endorsed by Sąjūdis ) | July 21, 1992 | |
| 5th Government | Bronislovas Lubys | Independent (endorsed by Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania ) | December 12, 1992 | |
| 6th Government | Adolfas Šleževičius | Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania | March 10, 1993 | |
| 7th Government | Laurynas Stankevičius | Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania | February 23, 1996 | |
| 8th Government | Gediminas Vagnorius | Homeland Union | 4 December 1996 | |
| 9th Government | Rolandas Paksas | Homeland Union | 1 June 1999 | |
| 10th Government | Andrius Kubilius | Homeland Union | 3 November 1999 | |
| 11th Government | Rolandas Paksas | Liberal Union of Lithuania | 27 October 2000 | |
| 12th Government | Algirdas Brazauskas | Social Democratic Party of Lithuania | 4 July 2001 | |
| 13th Government | Algirdas Brazauskas | Social Democratic Party of Lithuania | November 29, 2004 | |
| 14th Government | Gediminas Kirkilas | Social Democratic Party of Lithuania | 6 July 2006 | |
| 15th Government | Andrius Kubilius | Homeland Union | 28 November 2008 | |
| 16th Government | Algirdas Butkevičius | Social Democratic Party of Lithuania | 26 November 2012 | |
| 17th Government | Saulius Skvernelis | Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union | 13 December 2016 | |
| Sources: Lithuanian Government, [33] Zárate’s Political Collections, [34] Wolfram Nordsieck [35] | ||||
See also
- Elections in Lithuania
- List of governments of Lithuania (since 1990)
- List of Governments of Lithuania (1918-1940)
References
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