CHAPTER V. THE SEIMAS
Article 55
The Seimas [(Parliament)] shall consist of representatives of the Nation—141 Members of the Seimas who shall be elected for a four-year term on the basis of universal, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot.
The Seimas shall be deemed elected when not less than 3/5 [three-fifths] of the Members of the Seimas have been elected.
The procedure for election of Members of the Seimas shall be established by law.
Article 56
Any citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who is not bound by an oath or pledge to a foreign state, and who, on the election day, is not younger than 25 years of age and permanently resides in Lithuania, may be elected a Member of the Seimas.
Persons who have not fulfilled punishment imposed by a court judgement as well as persons recognised incapable by court may not be elected Members of the Seimas.
Article 57
Regular elections to the Seimas shall be held on the year of the expiration of the powers of the Members of Seimas on the second Sunday of October.
Regular elections to the Seimas following pre-term elections to the Seimas shall be held at the time specified in the First Paragraph of this Article.
Article 58
Pre-term elections to the Seimas may be held on the decision of the Seimas adopted by not less than a 3/5 [three-fifths] majority vote of the Members of the Seimas.
Pre-term elections to the Seimas may also be announced by the President of the Republic:
- if the Seimas fails to adopt a decision on the new programme of the Government within 30 days of its presentation, or if the Seimas two times in succession gives no assent to the programme of the Government within 60 days of its first presentation;
- on the proposal of the Government, if the Seimas expresses direct no-confidence in the Government.
The President of the Republic may not announce pre-term elections to the Seimas if the term of office of the President of the Republic expires in less than 6 months, also if 6 months have not passed since the pre-term elections to the Seimas.
The day of elections to the new Seimas shall be specified in the resolution of the Seimas or in the act of the President of the Republic on the pre-term elections to the Seimas. The elections to the new Seimas must be held within 3 months of the adoption of the decision on the pre-term elections.
Article 59
The term of powers of Members of the Seimas shall begin to be counted from the day on which the newly-elected Seimas convenes for the first sitting. The term of powers of the previously elected Members of the Seimas shall expire at the beginning of this sitting.
The elected Member of the Seimas shall acquire all the rights of a representative of the Nation only after taking at the Seimas an oath to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania.
The Member of the Seimas who either does not take the oath according to the procedure established by law, or who takes a conditional oath, shall lose the mandate of a Member of the Seimas. The Seimas shall adopt a corresponding resolution thereon. When in office, Members of the Seimas shall follow the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the interests of the State as well as their own consciences, and may not be restricted by any mandates.
Article 60
The duties of a Member of the Seimas, with the exception of his duties at the Seimas, shall be incompatible with any other duties at State institutions and organization as well as with work in business, commercial and other private establishments or enterprises. During his term of office, a Member of the Seimas shall be exempt from the duty to perform the national defence service.
A Member of the Seimas may be appointed only either as the Prime Minister or a Minister.
The work of a Member of the Seimas as well as all the expenses relating to his parliamentary activities shall be remunerated from the State Budget. A Member of the Seimas may not receive any other remuneration, with the exception of remuneration for creative activities.
The duties, rights and guarantees of the activities of a Member of the Seimas shall be established by law.
Article 61
A Member of the Seimas shall have the right to submit an inquiry to the Prime Minister, the Ministers, and the heads of other State institutions formed or elected by the Seimas. The said persons must respond orally or in writing during the session of the Seimas according to the procedure established by the Seimas.
At a session of the Seimas, a group of not less than 1/5 [one-fifth] of the Members of the Seimas may direct an interpellation to the Prime Minister or a Minister.
Upon considering the response of the Prime Minister or a Minister to the interpellation, the Seimas may decide that the response is not satisfactory, and, by majority vote of half of all the Members of the Seimas, express no-confidence in the Prime Minister or the Minister.
The voting procedure shall be established by law.
Article 62
The person of a Member of the Seimas shall be inviolable.
A Member of the Seimas may not be held criminally liable, arrested, nor may his freedom be otherwise restricted without the consent of the Seimas.
A Member of the Seimas may not be persecuted for his voting or his speeches at the Seimas. However, he may be held liable according to the general procedure for personal insult or slander.
Article 63
The powers of a Member of the Seimas shall cease:
- upon the expiration of the term of powers, or when the Seimas, elected in pre-term elections, convenes for the first sitting;
- upon his death;
- upon his resignation;
- when he is recognised incapable by court;
- when the Seimas revokes his mandate according to the procedure for impeachment proceedings;
- when the election is recognised invalid, or if the law on election is grossly violated;
- if he takes up or does not give up employment which is incompatible with the duties of a Member of the Seimas;
- if he loses citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 64
Every year, the Seimas shall convene for two regular sessions—spring and autumn. The spring session shall commence on the 10th of March and shall end on 30th of June. The autumn session shall commence on the 10th of September and shall end on 23rd of December. The Seimas may decide to prolong a session.
Extraordinary sessions shall be convened by the Speaker of the Seimas on the proposal of not less than [1/3] one-third of all the Members of the Seimas, and, in cases provided for in the Constitution, by the President of the Republic.
Article 65
The President of the Republic shall convene the first sitting of the newly-elected Seimas which must be held within 15 days of the Seimas election. If the President of the Republic fails to convene the Seimas, the Members of the Seimas shall assemble by themselves on the day following the expiration of the 15-day period.
Article 66
The sittings of the Seimas shall be presided over by the Speaker of the Seimas or his Deputy.
The first sitting of the Seimas after the elections shall be opened by the eldest Member of the Seimas.
Article 67
The Seimas:
- shall consider and adopt amendments to the Constitution;
- shall pass laws;
- shall adopt resolutions on referendums;
- shall call elections for the President of the Republic of Lithuania;
- shall establish State institutions provided for by law and appoint and dismiss their heads;
- shall or shall not give assent to the candidature of the Prime Minister submitted by the President of the Republic;
- shall consider the programme of the Government presented by the Prime Minister and decide whether to give assent to it;
- shall, on the proposal of the Government, establish and abolish ministries of the Republic of Lithuania;
- shall supervise the activities of the Government, and may express no-confidence in the Prime Minister or a Minister;
- shall appoint justices and Presidents of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court;
- shall appoint and dismiss the State Controller and the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania;
- shall call elections of municipal councils;
- shall form the Central Electoral Commission and alter its composition;
- shall approve the State Budget and supervise its execution;
- shall establish State taxes and other compulsory payments;
- shall ratify and denounce international treaties of the Republic of Lithuania and consider other issues of foreign policy;
- shall establish administrative division of the Republic;
- shall establish State awards of the Republic of Lithuania;
- shall issue acts of amnesty;
- shall impose direct rule, martial law, and a state of emergency, declare mobilisation, and adopt a decision to use the armed forces.
Article 68
The right of legislative initiative at the Seimas shall belong to the Members of the Seimas, the President of the Republic, and the Government.
Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania shall also have the right of legislative initiative. 50,000 citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who have the electoral right may submit a draft law to the Seimas and the Seimas must consider it.
Article 69
Laws shall be adopted at the Seimas according to the procedure established by law.
Laws shall be deemed adopted if the majority of the Members of the Seimas participating in the sitting have voted in favor thereof.
Constitutional laws of the Republic of Lithuania shall be adopted if more than half of all the Members of the Seimas vote in favor thereof and they shall be altered by a not less than a 3/5 [three-fifths] majority vote of all the Members of the Seimas. The Seimas shall establish the list of constitutional laws by a 3/5 [three-fifths] majority vote of the Members of the Seimas.
Provisions of laws of the Republic of Lithuania may also be adopted by referendum.
Article 70
The laws adopted by the Seimas shall come into force after they are signed and officially promulgated by the President of the Republic, unless the laws themselves establish a later date for their coming into force.
Other acts adopted by the Seimas and the Statute of the Seimas shall be signed by the Speaker of the Seimas. The said acts shall come into force on the day following their publication, unless the acts themselves establish another procedure of coming into force.
Article 71
Within ten days of receiving a law adopted by the Seimas, the President of the Republic shall either sign and officially promulgate the law, or shall refer it back to the Seimas together with relevant reasons for reconsideration.
If the law adopted by the Seimas is not referred back and is not signed by the President of the Republic within the specified period, the law shall come into force after it is signed and officially promulgated by the Speaker of the Seimas.
A law or other act adopted by referendum must, within 5 days, be signed and officially promulgated by the President of the Republic.
If the President of the Republic does not sign and promulgate such a law within the specified period, the law shall come into force after it is signed and officially promulgated by the Speaker of the Seimas.
Article 72
The Seimas may consider anew and adopt the law which has been referred back by the President of the Republic.
The law reconsidered by the Seimas shall be deemed adopted provided the amendments and supplements submitted by the President of the Republic were adopted or if more than 1/2 [one-half] of all the Members of the Seimas voted for the law, and if it was a constitutional law—if not less than 3/5 of all the Members of the Seimas voted for it.
The President of the Republic must within three days sign and forthwith officially promulgate such laws.
Article 73
Complaints of citizens about the abuse of authority and bureaucratic intransigence by State and municipal officials (with the exception of judges) shall be examined by the Seimas controllers. They shall have the right to submit a proposal before a court for dismissing the guilty officials from office.
The powers of the Seimas controllers shall be established by law.
The Seimas shall also establish, as necessary, other institutions of control. Their system and powers shall be established by law.
Article 74
The President of the Republic, the President and justices of the Constitutional Court, the President and justices of the Supreme Court, the President and judges of the Court of Appeal as well as the Members of the Seimas who have grossly violated the Constitution or breached their oath, or if it transpires that a crime has been committed, may by a 3/5 [three-fifths] majority vote of all the Members of the Seimas be removed from office or their mandate of a Member of the Seimas may be revoked. This shall be performed according to the procedure for impeachment proceedings which shall be established by the Statute of the Seimas.
Article 75
Officials appointed or elected by the Seimas, with the exception of persons specified in Article 74 of the Constitution, shall be dismissed from office when the Seimas expresses no-confidence in them by majority vote of all the Members of the Seimas.
Article 76
The structure and procedure of activities of the Seimas shall be established by the Statute of the Seimas. The Statute of the Seimas shall have the power of law.
