The Seimas 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 of the Members of the Seimas are elected.
The procedure for the election of the Members of the Seimas shall be established by law.
Any citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who is not bound by an oath or a pledge to a foreign state, and who, on the election day, is not younger than 21 years of age and permanently resides in Lithuania, may stand for election as a Member of the Seimas.
Persons who have not served punishment imposed by a court judgment, as well as persons declared by a court to be legally incapacitated, may not stand for election as a Member of the Seimas.
A regular election to the Seimas shall be held in the year of the expiry of the powers of the Members of the Seimas on the second Sunday of October.
A regular election to the Seimas following an early election to the Seimas shall be held at the time specified in the first paragraph of this Article.
An early election to the Seimas may be held upon the decision of the Seimas adopted by not less than a 3/5 majority vote of the Members of the Seimas.
An early election to the Seimas may also be called by the President of the Republic:
1) 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 twice in succession gives no assent to the programme of the Government within 60 days of its first presentation;
2) upon the proposal of the Government, if the Seimas expresses direct no confidence in the Government.
The President of the Republic may not call an early election to the Seimas if the term of office of the President of the Republic expires in less than 6 months, or if 6 months have not passed since the early election to the Seimas.
The day of election 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 early election to the Seimas. The election to the new Seimas must be held within 3 months of the adoption of the decision on the early election.
The term of powers of the 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.
An elected Member of the Seimas shall acquire all the rights of a representative of the Nation only after taking an oath at the Seimas to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania.
A Member of the Seimas who either does not take the oath according to the procedure established by law or takes a conditional oath shall lose the mandate of a Member of the Seimas. The Seimas shall adopt a corresponding resolution thereon.
While in office, the 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.
The duties of the Members of the Seimas, with the exception of their duties at the Seimas, shall be incompatible with any other duties at state institutions or organisations, or with work in business, commercial, or other private establishments or enterprises. During their term of office, the Members of the Seimas shall be exempt from the duty to perform national defence service.
A Member of the Seimas may be appointed only either as the Prime Minister or a Minister.
The work of the Members of the Seimas, as well as all expenses relating to their 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.
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.
During a session of the Seimas, a group of not less than 1/5 of the Members of the Seimas may interpellate the Prime Minister or a Minister.
Upon considering the response of the Prime Minister or the Minister to the interpellation, the Seimas may decide that the response is not satisfactory, and, by a majority vote of half of all the Members of the Seimas, may express no confidence in the Prime Minister or the Minister.
The voting procedure shall be established by law.
The person of a Member of the Seimas shall be inviolable.
The Members of the Seimas may not be held criminally liable or be detained, or have their liberty restricted otherwise, without the consent of the Seimas.
The Members of the Seimas may not be persecuted for their votes or speeches at the Seimas. However, they may be held liable according to the general procedure for personal insult or defamation.
The powers of a Member of the Seimas shall cease:
1) upon the expiry of the term of powers, or when the Seimas elected in an early election convenes for the first sitting;
2) upon his death;
3) upon his resignation;
4) when he is declared by a court to be legally incapacitated;
5) when the Seimas revokes his mandate according to the procedure for impeachment proceedings;
6) when the election is declared invalid, or the law on election is grossly violated;
7) when he takes up or does not give up employment that is incompatible with the duties of a Member of the Seimas;
8) when he loses his citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania.
Every year, the Seimas shall convene for two regular sessions—in spring and autumn. The spring session shall commence on the 10th of March and shall end on the 30th of June. The autumn session shall commence on the 10th of September and shall end on the 23rd of December. The Seimas may decide to prolong a session.
Extraordinary sessions shall be convened by the Speaker of the Seimas upon the proposal of not less than one-third of all the Members of the Seimas, or by the President of the Republic in cases provided for in the Constitution.
The President of the Republic shall convene the first sitting of the newly elected Seimas, which must be held within 15 days of the election of the Seimas. 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 expiry of the 15-day period.
Sittings of the Seimas shall be presided over by the Speaker of the Seimas, or his Deputy.
The first sitting of the Seimas after its election shall be opened by the eldest Member of the Seimas.
The Seimas:
1) shall consider and adopt amendments to the Constitution;
2) shall pass laws;
3) shall adopt resolutions on referendums;
4) shall call elections for the President of the Republic of Lithuania;
5) shall establish state institutions provided for by law, and appoint and release their heads;
6) shall or shall not give its assent to the candidate proposed by the President of the Republic for the post of the Prime Minister;
7) shall consider the programme of the Government, presented by the Prime Minister, and decide whether to give its assent to it;
8) shall, upon the proposal of the Government, establish and abolish the ministries of the Republic of Lithuania;
9) shall supervise the activities of the Government and may express no confidence in the Prime Minister or a Minister;
10) shall appoint the justices and Presidents of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court;
11) shall appoint and release the Auditor General and the Chairperson of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania;
12) shall call elections to municipal councils and elections of municipal mayors;
13) shall form the Central Electoral Commission and alter its composition;
14) shall approve the State Budget and supervise its execution;
15) shall establish state taxes and other compulsory payments;
16) shall ratify and denounce international treaties of the Republic of Lithuania and consider other issues of foreign policy;
17) shall establish the administrative division of the Republic;
18) shall establish the state awards of the Republic of Lithuania;
19) shall issue acts of amnesty;
20) shall impose direct rule and martial law, declare states of emergency, announce mobilisation, and adopt a decision to use the armed forces.
The right of legislative initiative at the Seimas shall belong to the Members of the Seimas, the President of the Republic, and the Government.
The 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.
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 vote in favour thereof.
Constitutional laws of the Republic of Lithuania shall be adopted if more than half of all the Members of the Seimas vote in favour thereof, and they shall be altered by not less than a 3/5 majority vote of all the Members of the Seimas. The Seimas shall establish the list of constitutional laws by a 3/5 majority vote of the Members of the Seimas.
The provisions of laws of the Republic of Lithuania may also be adopted by referendum.
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 entry into force.
Other acts adopted by the Seimas, as well as 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 for their entry into force.
Within ten days of receiving a law adopted by the Seimas, the President of the Republic either shall sign and officially promulgate the law or shall, upon reasonable grounds, refer it back to the Seimas for reconsideration.
If the law adopted by the Seimas is neither referred back nor 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 another 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.
The Seimas may consider anew and adopt a law referred back by the President of the Republic.
The law reconsidered by the Seimas shall be deemed adopted if the amendments and supplements submitted by the President of the Republic are adopted, or if more than 1/2 of all the Members of the Seimas vote for the law, or, in cases where such a law is a constitutional law—if not less than 3/5 of all the Members of the Seimas vote in favour thereof.
The President of the Republic must sign such laws within three days and promulgate them immediately.
Complaints of citizens about the abuse of authority or bureaucratic intransigence by state and municipal officials (with the exception of judges) shall be examined by the Seimas Ombudsmen, who shall have the right to submit a proposal before a court for dismissing the guilty officials from office.
The powers of the Seimas Ombudsmen shall be established by law.
The Seimas shall also establish, when necessary, other institutions of control. Their system and powers shall be established by law.
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 any Members of the Seimas, who grossly violate the Constitution or breach their oath, or are found to have committed a crime, may be removed from office or have the mandate of a Member of the Seimas revoked by a 3/5 majority vote of all the Members of the Seimas. This shall be performed according to the procedure for impeachment proceedings, which shall be established by the Statute of the Seimas.
A person who has been removed from office or whose mandate of a Member of the Seimas has been revoked by the Seimas according to the procedure for impeachment proceedings for a gross violation of the Constitution or a breach of oath may hold the offices specified in the Constitution, the commencement of which is, under the Constitution, linked to the taking of the oath provided for in the Constitution, when not less than ten years have passed since the decision of the Seimas by which he was removed from office or his mandate of a Member of the Seimas was revoked.
The officials appointed or elected by the Seimas, with the exception of the persons specified in Article 74 of the Constitution, shall be dismissed from office when the Seimas expresses no confidence in them by a majority vote of all the Members of the Seimas.
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 force of a law.