The President of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas) is the
head of state of
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. The officeholder has been
Gitanas Nausėda since 12 July 2019.
Powers
The president has somewhat more executive authority than his counterparts in
Estonia and
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
; his function is very similar to that of the presidents of
France and
Romania. Similarly to them, but unlike presidents in a fully presidential system such as
the United States, he generally has the most authority in foreign affairs. In addition to the customary diplomatic powers of Heads of State, namely receiving the
letters of credence of foreign ambassadors and signing
treaties, the president determines Lithuania's basic foreign policy guidelines. He is also the
commander-in-chief of the
Lithuanian Armed Forces, and accordingly heads the State Defense Council and has the right to appoint the
Chief of Defence
The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position withi ...
(subject to Seimas consent).
[Presidential Functions , President of the Republic of Lithuania](_blank)
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The president also has a significant role in domestic policy. He has the right to submit bills to the Seimas and to veto laws passed by it, appoints the prime minister and approves the government formed by him, and has the right to dissolve the Seimas and call snap elections
A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled.
Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system (the dissolution of parliament) is called to capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or to ...
following a successful motion of no confidence or if the Seimas refuses to approve the government's budget within sixty days. However, the next elected Seimas may retaliate by calling for an earlier presidential election.[Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania - Seimas site](_blank)
/ref>
Finally, the president ensures an effective judiciary; he nominates one-third of the judges of the Constitutional Court, and the entirety of the Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, for appointment by the Seimas, and has the right to directly appoint all other judges.
Election
Under the Constitution of Lithuania adopted in 1992, the president is elected to a five-year term under a modified two-round system: a candidate requires an absolute majority of the vote and either voter turnout to be above 50% or for their vote share to be equivalent to at least one-third of the number of registered voters to win the election in the first round.Lithuania: Election for President
IFES If no candidate does so, the two candidates with the most votes face each other in a second round held two weeks later. Upon taking office, the president must suspend any formal membership in a political party.
List of presidents (1919–present)
See also
* List of rulers of Lithuania
References
*
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