Elections in Lithuania are held to select members of the parliament, the president, members of the municipal councils and mayors, as well as delegates to the European Parliament. Lithuanian citizens can also vote in mandatory or consultative referendums.
Lithuania was one of the first countries in the world to grant women a right to vote in the elections. Lithuanian women were allowed to vote by the 1918 Constitution of Lithuania and used their newly granted right for the first time in 1919. By doing so, Lithuania allowed it earlier than such democratic countries as the United States (1920), France (1945), and Switzerland (1971).
Seventy-one of the members in the 141-seat parliament, elected to a four-year term, are elected in single-seat constituencies, in a majority vote. The remaining 70 members are elected in a nationwide election based on proportional representation. The structure of the elections means that a large number of parties are represented in the parliament and coalition governments are common. The head of the state - the president - is elected to a five-year term in a majority vote, with the president eligible for up to two terms in office. More than 1500 municipal council members are elected in local elections to four-year terms, with the majority of the seats allocated using proportional representation and the mayors elected directly by residents in a majority vote. The Lithuanian representatives in the European Parliament, currently numbering 11, are elected using proportional representation every five years.
Fifteen referendums have been organized in Lithuania, initiated by either citizens or the parliament. Of these, only four have seen the referendum question approved in a referendum deemed to have taken place.
Voting in elections is generally open to all citizens of Lithuania who are at least 18 years of age. Citizens of other European Union countries that permanently reside in Lithuania can vote in the Lithuanian elections to the European Parliament. Voting in municipal elections is open to all permanent residents of Lithuania, regardless of their citizenship.
The voting process is organized by the Central Electoral Commission and subordinate electoral bodies and is monitored by local and international observers. The voters cast a secret ballot and the elections have generally been assessed as free and fair, although allegations of irregularities have been common.
Elections to the Seimas
Process and eligibility
The parliament (Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas) has 141 members, elected to a four-year term, with 71 members elected in single-seat constituencies and 70 members elected by proportional representation. Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system, with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the Seimas take place on the second Sunday of October.
To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently reside in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.
In addition, the Lithuanian law stipulates that a person who has been removed from office through impeachment may not be elected for four years after their removal, although the limit of four years has been suspended by the Lithuanian constitutional court, which stated that the Lithuanian constitution does not allow for persons impeached for a breach of constitution or their oath of office to stand in elections indefinitely. This provision of the constitution had been ruled to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Parliament members in the 71 single-seat constituencies are elected in a majority vote if the voter turnout in the constituency is at least 40%. If the voter turnout is less than 40%, the candidate with the most votes (and at least 20% of the votes) is declared the winner. If there are more than two candidates and no candidate wins in the first round, a second round of voting is held within 15 days. The two leading candidates from the first round are eligible for the second round of voting. The candidate that gets more votes in the second round is declared the winner, regardless of voter turnout.
The remaining 70 seats are allocated to the participating political parties proportionally to the share of vote received, using the largest remainder method. Parties receiving less than 5% of the vote and joint multi-party electoral lists receiving less than 7% of the vote are not eligible to receive any seats, unless the remaining eligible parties received less than 60% of the vote.
Candidates take the seats allocated to their parties based on the preference lists submitted before the election. The preference lists are adjusted by preference votes given by the voters.
Elections and results Nine elections of the Seimas have been held in Lithuania since independence.
The first election in independent Lithuania was held on 25 October 1992, with a run-off on 15 November. 24 parties and political movements contested the Seimas seats. The election was won by the (ex-communist) Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania, which gained 73 seats and 44% of the popular vote. Analysts attributed the victory to the support the party found among the Russian and Polish minorities, farmers, as well as to popular dissatisfaction with the economic situation, particularly the fuel shortage. Sąjūdis, which had led Lithuania into independence finished distant second with 30 seats.
The 1996 parliamentary election was held on 20 October with the run-off on 10 November. This time, Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania suffered as a result of poor economic situation and financial scandals, including one involving former Prime Minister Adolfas Šleževičius. The election was won by the Homeland Union - Lithuanian Conservative Party, which gained 70 seats and 31% of the vote. Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party were distant second with 16 seats, followed by Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania with 12.
The 2000 parliamentary election was held on 8 October. The election was held in the context of economic crisis brought about by Russian financial crisis of 1998, austerity and high-profile privatization. Liberal Union of Lithuania won the most seats of any party in the election, with 33, although a joint list "Social-Democratic Coalition of Algirdas Brazauskas" won the highest share of the popular vote with 31%. The Liberal Union formed the government with New Union (Social Liberals), Lithuanian Centre Union and the Modern Christian Democrats. The coalition was short-lived and Algirdas Brazauskas, a social democrat, became the prime minister less than a year later.
The Social Democrats remained at the helm of the government after the 2004 parliamentary election, which was held on 10 October, with the run-off on 24 October. The party was the third-largest in the parliament after the election with 20 seats, behind Labour Party with 39 and Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives) with 25, but managed to govern together with New Union (Social Liberals) (11 seats), the Labour Party and the support of other parties. It was the first time since independence that a ruling government survived an election.
The 2008 parliamentary election was held on 12 October, with a run-off on 26 October. Homeland Union won the election dominated by taxation and potential introduction of Euro. Rising inflation and potential economic downturn were also high on the agenda following several years of rapid growth. Homeland Union (45 seats) formed a coalition government with populist and short-lived National Resurrection Party (16 seats), Liberal Movement (11 seats) and Liberal and Centre Union (8 seats). Social Democrats was the largest party in opposition with 25 seats.
The 2012 parliamentary election was held on 14 October, with a run-off on 28 October. The Social Democrats became the largest party in the Seimas and defeated the center-right coalition of Andrius Kubilius. The Social Democrats, with 38 seats, formed a government coalition with Labour Party (19 seats), Order and Justice (11 seats) and Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (8 seats), with the latter party later withdrawing from the government. Homeland Union (33 seats) withdrew to the opposition after four years in government.
The 2016 parliamentary election was held on 9 October, with a run-off on 23 October. The election was a surprise victory for Peasant and Greens Union, which won 54 seats in the parliament - the largest tally by a single party in Lithuania for 20 years. Homeland Union won the largest share of the vote (22.63%) and 20 mandates in the nationwide constituency, but a disappointing performance in single-member constituencies left the party a distant second with 31 seats. Peasants and Greens formed a coalition with the Social Democrats, who won 17 seats in the parliament.
The 2020 parliamentary election was held on 11 October, with a run-off on 25 October. It was a victory for the Homeland Union, which finished first with 50 seats and formed a centre-right coalition with the Liberal Movement (13 seats) and the newly formed Freedom Party (11 seats). The Peasant and Greens Union (32 seats) became the largest party in the opposition.
The 2024 parliamentary election was held on 13 October, with a run-off on 27 October 2024. The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party finished first with 52 seats and formed a centre-left coalition with two newly formed parties: the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" (14 seats) and Dawn of Nemunas (20 seats). The Homeland Union (28 seats) became the largest party in the opposition.
ElectionTurnoutLargest party/list2nd largest party/list3rd largest party/list%Seats%Seats%Seats199275.3%Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania44%73Sąjūdis21.2%30Coalition: Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party, Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees, Lithuanian Democratic Party12.6%18199652.9%Homeland Union - Lithuanian Conservatives31.34%70Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party10.43%16Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania10.01%12200058.6%Social-Democratic Coalition of Algirdas Brazauskas31.08%51Liberal Union of Lithuania17.25%33New Union (Social Liberals)19.64%28200446.1%Labour Party28.4%39Working for Lithuania: Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, New Union (Social Liberals)20.7%31Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives)14.8%25200848.59% Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats19.72%45Social Democratic Party of Lithuania11.72%25National Resurrection Party15.09%16201252.93%Social Democratic Party of Lithuania18.37%38Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats15.08%33Labour Party19.82%29201650.64%Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union22.45%54Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats22.63%31Social Democratic Party of Lithuania15.04%17202047.81%Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats25.77%50Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union18.07%32Social Democratic Party of Lithuania9.58%13202452.20%Social Democratic Party of Lithuania19.70%52Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats18.35%28Dawn of Nemunas15.26%20
Results of the 2024 election
Presidential elections
Election process and eligibility
The President of Lithuania is the head of state of the country, elected to a five-year term in a majority vote. Elections take place on the last Sunday no more than two months before the end of current presidential term.