Seimas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Seimas
14th Seimas
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	1445 (historical) 22 August 1922; 103 years ago (1922-08-22)
Disbanded	1940–1991
Leadership
Speaker	Saulius Skvernelis, DSVL Since 14 November 2024
First Deputy Speaker	Juozas Olekas, LSDP Since 14 November 2024
Deputy Speakers	Rasa Budbergytė, LSDP Since 14 November 2024
	Orinta Leiputė, LSDP Since 14 November 2024
	Raimondas Šukys, PPNA Since 27 March 2025
	Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, TS-LKD Since 14 November 2024
	Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, LS Since 14 November 2024
Structure
Seats	141
Political groups	Government (caretaker) (86)      Social Democrats (52)      Dawn of Nemunas (19)      Democrats "For Lithuania" (15) Opposition (55)      Homeland Union (28)      Liberals' Movement (12)      Lithuanian Farmers, Greens and Christian Families Union group (11)      Farmers and Greens Union (8)      Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance (3)      Mixed group (4)      Independent (3)      Centre-Right Union (1)
Elections
Voting system	Parallel voting; 70 party-list seats with a 5% threshold (7% for alliances) and 71 runoff seats
Last election	13 and 27 October 2024
Next election	On or before October 2028
Redistricting	Every four years
Meeting place
Seimas Palace, Vilnius

The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), often just called the Seimas (SAY-məs), is the main law-making body of Lithuania. It's like the parliament where important decisions for the country are made. The Seimas has only one chamber, meaning all its members work together in one group.

The Seimas is in charge of making and changing laws, including the country's main rulebook, the Constitution of Lithuania. It also approves the national budget, which is like the country's spending plan. The Seimas confirms the Prime Minister and the Government and keeps an eye on their work.

There are 141 members in the Seimas. They are chosen by the people of Lithuania every four years. Some members are elected from specific areas, and others are chosen based on how many votes their political party gets across the whole country. To get seats this way, a party usually needs at least 5% of the national vote.

After the elections in 2024, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania became the largest party. They formed a new government with the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" and the Dawn of Nemunas parties.

The Seimas has a long history, going back to the old Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After Lithuania regained its independence, the first modern Seimas met in 1992.

What is the Seimas?

The Seimas is Lithuania's parliament, where elected representatives work to make the country a better place. It's a very important part of how Lithuania is governed.

A Look at Seimas History

The Seimas has a rich past, evolving over many centuries to become the modern parliament it is today. Understanding its history helps us see how Lithuania's democracy grew.

How the Seimas Began

The idea of large meetings of nobles in Lithuania started a long time ago, around 1398. Many people believe the very first Seimas meeting happened in Hrodna in 1445. Back then, the Grand Duke needed more money for his army, so he often called these meetings. In return for their support and taxes, the nobles asked for more power for the Seimas.

At first, the Seimas didn't make laws. It discussed important topics like foreign affairs, taxes, and wars. There weren't many rules about how often they met or who could join. By the early 1500s, the Seimas started to gain more power to suggest laws to the Grand Duke.

Big changes happened between 1564 and 1566. The Seimas gained full power to make laws, acting like one part of a two-part parliament. This is when elections for the Seimas began, allowing local nobles to choose their representatives. Before this, any noble could attend.

In 1569, the Union of Lublin created a new country, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Lithuanian Seimas then joined with the Polish Sejm to form one big parliament.

The General Sejm was the parliament for the entire Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the late 1700s. It was a powerful group, and the king couldn't pass laws without its approval. These meetings usually lasted six weeks and happened every two years. Over time, the number of members grew, and the capital city of Warsaw became the main meeting place.

A very important meeting called the Great Seimas of Vilnius took place in 1905. Over 2,000 people gathered to ask for more self-rule for Lithuania within the Russian Empire. This event was a big step towards Lithuania becoming an independent country in 1918.

Seimas in the Early 20th Century

The location of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania in Kaunas during the interwar period.

The Second Seimas in 1923.

After Lithuania declared independence in 1918, the first elected body was the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania. It was chosen in 1920, and about 90% of voters participated. Its main job was to create the Constitution of Lithuania, which it did in 1922. This new constitution gave a lot of power to the parliament, the Seimas.

The First Seimas of Lithuania was elected in 1922. However, no party could form a stable government, so it was dissolved in 1923. New elections were held soon after. The Second Seimas of Lithuania was the only parliament during this time that completed its full three-year term. It worked on land reforms and improved schools and social support.

The Third Seimas of Lithuania was elected in 1926. It brought back democratic freedoms and released political prisoners. But this government was also short-lived. In December 1926, a coup replaced the elected government with an authoritarian leader, Antanas Smetona. The Third Seimas was dissolved, and new elections didn't happen until 1936.

The Fourth Seimas of Lithuania was elected in 1936 under a new constitution that gave more power to the president. Most of its members belonged to the Lithuanian Nationalists Union. Its main task was to create another new constitution in 1938, which gave even more power to the president.

In 1940, after the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania, the Fourth Seimas was dismissed. A new "People's Seimas" was elected in unfair elections. This new parliament declared Lithuania a Soviet Socialist Republic and asked to join the Soviet Union. It then became the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR, which mostly just approved decisions made by the Soviet Union.

Seimas After Lithuania's Independence

Vytautas Landsbergis was the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Lithuania.

On March 11, 1990, the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR declared Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union. This body then became known as the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania. It created a temporary constitution and worked on the new Constitution of Lithuania, which voters approved in a referendum in 1992.

Since then, Lithuania has held several elections for the Seimas under this new constitution.

Vytautas Landsbergis near the primary doors of the Seimas Palace with the recently added Vytis above them, in 1990.

The first election in independent Lithuania took place in 1992. The Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania won the most seats, forming the Sixth Seimas. Algirdas Brazauskas became the first Speaker of the Seimas. This period faced economic challenges.

The election for the Seventh Seimas in 1996 was won by the Homeland Union. They formed a government with the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party. This time also saw economic difficulties, partly due to a financial crisis in Russia. Vytautas Landsbergis served as the Speaker.

The Eighth Seimas was elected in 2000. The Liberal Union of Lithuania won the most seats and formed a government. Later, Algirdas Brazauskas became Prime Minister. During this Seimas term, Lithuania achieved its goals of joining NATO and the European Union.

The 2004 parliamentary election saw the Social Democrats continue to lead the government. This was the first time since independence that a ruling government stayed in power after an election.

The Tenth Seimas was elected in 2008. The Homeland Union became the largest party and formed a government. Irena Degutienė became the first female Speaker of the Seimas during this term. This period was marked by a serious economic crisis, leading to public dissatisfaction.

The 2012 parliamentary election resulted in the Social Democrats becoming the largest party in the Eleventh Seimas. They formed a government with other parties.

The elections in 2016 brought a big change. The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, a smaller party before, won many seats in the Twelfth Seimas. They formed a government with the Social Democrats.

The Thirteenth Seimas was elected in 2020. The Homeland Union won the most seats and formed a new government with the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party.

The elections in 2024 brought changes to the government. The Homeland Union moved into opposition. The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania won the most seats and formed a new government with the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" and the Dawn of Nemunas parties.

How the Seimas Works

The Seimas has important jobs to do for Lithuania. It uses its power to create laws and oversee the government.

Making Laws in Lithuania

The main job of the Seimas is to make and change laws, including the Constitution. Anyone in the Seimas, the President, or the Government can suggest a new law. Even citizens can propose laws if they gather at least 50,000 signatures.

When a new law is suggested, experts check if it fits with existing laws. Then, the Seimas discusses it and sends it to special committees. These committees study the law carefully, get opinions from experts, and listen to what people think.

After the committees finish their work, the Seimas debates the law again. Members can suggest changes. Finally, the Seimas votes to approve the new law. Once approved, it goes to the President. The President can sign it into law or send it back for more discussion. If the President doesn't sign it, the Speaker of the Seimas can. A law becomes official after it's published.

Electing Seimas Members

Session hall.

The Seimas has 141 members, and they are elected for four years. Elections happen on the second Sunday of October. All Lithuanian citizens aged 18 or older can vote.

Seventy-one members are elected from specific areas, and if no one wins a clear majority, a second vote is held. The other 70 seats are given to political parties based on how many votes they get nationwide. Parties usually need at least 5% of the votes to get these seats.

Who Leads the Seimas?

Saulius Skvernelis is the current Speaker of the Seimas.

The Speaker of the Seimas leads the meetings and guides the work of the parliament. The oldest member of the Seimas opens the very first meeting after an election.

The Speaker represents the Seimas and makes sure everything runs smoothly. They also send new laws to the President. If the President is away or can't do their job, the Speaker can temporarily act as President, but with limited powers.

The Speaker and Deputy Speakers are chosen by the members of the Seimas. They are responsible to the Seimas for their actions. Saulius Skvernelis is the current Speaker of the Seimas.

Teamwork: Seimas Committees

The Seimas has special groups called committees. These committees are made up of Seimas members. Their job is to study proposed laws and other important issues in detail.

Committees are formed when a new Seimas is elected. They usually have between 7 and 17 members. Each committee chooses its own Chair and Deputy Chair.

The Seimas Building: Seimas Palace

The Seimas Palace (Lithuanian: Seimo Rūmai) is where the Seimas meets. It's located in the center of Vilnius and is made up of three connected buildings. The main building was built in the 1970s. On March 11, 1990, the declaration of Lithuania's independence was announced in its main hall. This hall is now used for special events.

The other two buildings were connected after Lithuania became independent to provide more space. One building, near the Neris river, now holds the main meeting chamber for the Seimas. The third building is used by the Seimas committees and also has a restaurant.

Around the Palace, you can see parts of barricades and memorial signs. These remember the events of January 1991, when people defended the newly independent Lithuania.

Speakers and Prime Ministers

Images for kids

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  Sejm session at the Royal Castle, Warsaw, 1622.

See also

In Spanish: Seimas para niños