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The capital of Lithuania is Vilnius, the country’s area is 65,200 square kms, the population is made up of 3,462,000 inhabitants, the gross domestic product is 15.5 billion Euros. The inflation is 1.2%, its unemployment rate is 11.4%, the deficit is –2.6%, and its National debt is 21.1%. Lithuania started the rebellion of the three Baltic Republics against the Sovietic regime by the so-called “singing rebellion” in 1989, when two million people created a great human chain through Lithuania, Latvia and Esthonia, from Vilnius to Tallin, as a sign of protest against the Sovietic regime, that has been occuping the Baltic Republic since 1940. After proclaiming its indipendence in January 1990, Lithuania created a new Constitution in 1992, passed by a popular referendum. The form of Government provided for by the Constitution is a semi-presidential one. The President of Republic, in office for 5 years, is directly elected by people and He appoints the Head of Government, who must be, however, the expression of the parliamentary majority. The mono-cameral Parliament is made up of 141 members, in office for 4 years, elected by a mixed system: half of them in uninominal districts, half by the proportional system. The present Head of the State is Valdas Adamkus, elected on the 13th June 2004, in the same while of the European election. The present Prime Minister is Algirdas Brazuaskas, leader of the Lithuan Democratic Labourist Party. The last political elections took place in October 2004 and they saw the victory of a centre-leftist coalition that includes the Social-Democratic Party and the Social-Liberal Party. Lithuania joined the European Union on the 1st May 2004. The adhesion referendum took place in May 2003 and almost the 90% of people voted “YES”. Lithuania owns 13 out of the 732 seats that make up the European Parliament. The eltctions for the new European Parliamen were carried uot on the 13th June 2004, together with the presidential elections. This allowed mantaining the affluence to the polls quite high (about 48%), compared to the average of the countries of new adhesion. As far as the results, the preditions were confirmed. The New Labour Party get most of the votes, so gaining 5 seats. Its deputies joined the group “Alliance of Democratics and Liberals for Europe”. Within tha same group we have to mention the two deputies of the Centre Union and of the Liberals, while the Social-Democratic Party get 2 seats, joining the European Socialist Party. We also have to mention the 2 seats gained by the “Union for the Mother-Country”, which joined the Popular party. Within the present European Commission leaded by the Portuguese Barroso, the Lithuan Commissary is Dalia Grybauskaitè, commissary for the financial program and the balance.
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