President of Lithuania Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of Lithuania
Presidential standard
Presidential coat of arms
Incumbent Gitanas Nausėda since 12 July 2019
Style	Mr. President (informal) Commander-in-chief (military) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	European Council
Residence	Presidential Palace, Vilnius
Appointer	Direct election
Term length	Five years, renewable once consecutively
Inaugural holder	Antanas Smetona
Formation	4 April 1919; 106 years ago (1919-04-04)
Abolished	1940–1990
Deputy	Speaker of the Seimas
Salary	€119,460 (annual, brutto)

The President of Lithuania is the leader of the country of Lithuania. This important job is officially called the President of the Republic of Lithuania. The president helps guide the government and represents Lithuania to other countries. They are also the top commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

People in Lithuania vote directly for their president. A president serves for five years and can be elected only two times in a row. The current president is Gitanas Nausėda, who started his term on July 12, 2019.

Who Can Be President?
What Does the President Do?
How is the President Elected?
Past Presidents of Lithuania
See also

Who Can Be President?

To become president, a person must be at least 40 years old on election day. They also need to have lived in Lithuania for at least three years. Plus, they must meet the same rules as someone who wants to be a member of parliament. If someone was removed from a past job because they broke the constitution, they cannot become president.

What Does the President Do?

The Lithuanian president has more power than leaders in nearby Estonia and Latvia. Their role is quite similar to the presidents of France and Romania.

Working with Other Countries

The president mainly handles foreign affairs. This means they decide Lithuania's main goals for working with other nations. They also meet foreign ambassadors and sign agreements with other countries.

Leading the Military

The president is the commander-in-chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. This means they are in charge of the military. They lead the State Defense Council and can choose the Chief of Defence, but the parliament (called the Seimas) must agree.

Influencing Laws and Government

The president also plays a big part in how the country is run. They can suggest new laws to the Seimas (Lithuania's parliament). They can also stop laws passed by the Seimas if they don't agree with them. This is called a veto.

The president chooses the prime minister and approves the government they form. The president can even dissolve the Seimas and call for new elections. This can happen if the government loses a vote of no confidence or if the Seimas doesn't approve the government's budget within 60 days. However, the next Seimas could then call for an early presidential election.

Ensuring Fair Justice

The president helps make sure the justice system works well. They choose one-third of the judges for the Constitutional Court. They also choose all the judges for the Supreme Court, who are then approved by the Seimas. The president can also directly appoint all other judges.

How is the President Elected?

The Constitution of Lithuania from 1992 explains how the president is chosen. They are elected for a five-year term using a special two-round system.

Winning the Election

To win in the first round, a candidate needs more than half of all votes. Also, either more than 50% of voters must have participated, or the candidate's votes must be at least one-third of all registered voters. If no one wins in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes compete again. This second vote happens two weeks later.

After Being Elected

Once a person becomes president, they must stop being an official member of any political party.

What Happens if a President Cannot Serve?

If the president dies or becomes unable to do their job, the Speaker of the Seimas takes over. They act as president until a new president can be elected and officially start their term.

Past Presidents of Lithuania

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected	Took office	Left office	Affiliation/notes
President of the Republic of Lithuania
1	Antanas Smetona (1874–1944)	1919	4 April 1919	19 June 1920	First president of the Republic of Lithuania.
The Chairman of the Constituent Assembly, Aleksandras Stulginskis, served as acting president from 19 June 1920 to 21 December 1922.
2	Aleksandras Stulginskis (1885–1969)	1922	21 December 1922	7 June 1926
3	Kazys Grinius (1866–1950)	1926	7 June 1926	18 December 1926	Last democratically elected president of Lithuania before World War II.
After a change in government in 1926, Jonas Staugaitis and Aleksandras Stulginskis briefly served as acting presidents on 18–19 December 1926.
(1)	Antanas Smetona (1874–1944)	1926	19 December 1926	15 June 1940	Served as leader until Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940.
During the Soviet occupation, Prime Minister Antanas Merkys briefly acted as president. Then Justas Paleckis was put in charge by the Soviets.
The position of president was removed during the Lithuanian SSR period (1940–1990) under Soviet rule.
General Jonas Žemaitis was later recognized as acting president from 16 February 1949 to 26 November 1954.
Colonel Adolfas Ramanauskas was later recognized as acting president from 26 November 1954 to 29 November 1957.
After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, the presidency was not immediately brought back. It was re-established by the Constitution of Lithuania in 1992.
The Speaker of the Seimas, Algirdas Brazauskas, served as acting president from 25 November 1992 to 25 February 1993.
4	Algirdas Brazauskas (1932–2010)	1993	25 February 1993	25 February 1998	First directly elected president of Lithuania after independence was restored.
5	Valdas Adamkus (born 1926)	1997–98	26 February 1998	26 February 2003
6	Rolandas Paksas (born 1956)	2002–03	26 February 2003	6 April 2004	Was removed from office after a special vote by the parliament.
The Speaker of the Seimas, Artūras Paulauskas, served as acting president from 6 April to 12 July 2004.
(5)	Valdas Adamkus (born 1926)	2004	12 July 2004	12 July 2009
7	Dalia Grybauskaitė (born 1956)	2009 2014	12 July 2009	12 July 2019	First female president of Lithuania. She was also the first president to be reelected for a second term.
8	Gitanas Nausėda (born 1964)	2019 2024	12 July 2019	Incumbent