Post-communist public administration in Lithuania

Abstract

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania (1992), legislative power belongs to the Parliament (Seimas), and executive power consists of the president and the government of the Republic of Lithuania. The president has nominal powers; the cabinet government is responsible for running the administrative machinery. The central administration of Lithuania consists of four main groups of institutions, which are classified according to the legal criteria of accountability. The four main groups are (a) institutions accountable to the government as well as the office of the prime minister; (b) ministries and institutions under them; (c) institutions directly accountable to the Parliament (Seimas); and (d) institutions accountable to the administration of the president of Lithuania. The second group of institutions is the largest and most important, which alludes to the fact that the continental* tradition of rather large ministries and ministerial accountability is a characteristic feature of Lithuania’s public administration.[...]