SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
LAW
ON POLITICAL PARTIES
active voting right may be a member of a political party.
Citizens of Lithuania can belong to only one political party at a
time.
Article 2. Political parties function in accordance with the
Provisional Basic Law, this law, and other laws of the Republic
of Lithuania, and conduct their activity according to party
charters registered in the established manner.
Political parties, their subdivisions and organisations of
other countries may not be established and may not function on
the territory of the Republic of Lithuania.
The establishment or activity of political parties whose
program documents propagate and whose activities practice racial,
religious, social class inequality and hatred, methods of
authoritarian or totalitarian rule, methods of forcible (violent)
seizure of power, war, and violent propaganda, violation of human
rights and freedoms, or other ideas or actions which contradict
the constitutional order of the Republic of Lithuania and are
incompatible with universally recognized norms of international
law, is strictly forbidden.
Leading party institutions must operate only on the
territory of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 3. In order to found a political party, the party
must have no less than four hundred members in Lithuania, a
charter approved by a party conference, a party program, and an
elected leadership.
The party program and charter of the founded party may not
contradict the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 4. Political parties shall be registered by the
Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania. The Ministry of
Justice of the Republic of Lithuania shall register political
parties no later than one month after receiving the minutes of a
party conference or meeting if there are no violations of
Articles 1, 2, or 3 of this law.
The name and symbols of the registered political party must
differ from the names and symbols of parties already registered.
If registration is refused, the founders of that political
party must be informed of such a decision no later than within
three days, in writing, indicating the reasons for refusal.
Political parties must inform the Ministry of Justice of the
Republic of Lithuania of any changes to its charter or party
program within 15 days of such changes, by filing the documents
specified in this Article with the Ministry.
If a political party changes its name, it shall be
reregistered in the manner established by this law.
Political parties and organisations listed in the party's
charter shall be legal persons from the day the party is
registered.
Article 5. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of
Lithuania shall suspend activities of a political party if it
violates the Provisional Basic Law of the Republic of Lithuania
or this law.
The Ministry of Justice, after learning of a violation of
the law, shall inform, in writing, the leading institutions of a
political party, indicating what provisions of the law have been
violated and setting the time for the elimination of the
violation. If the violation is not eliminated by the set time,
the activities of the political party shall be suspended.
During an election campaign, the activities of a political
party may only be suspended by the Supreme Court of the Republic
of Lithuania.
After the suspension of activities of a political party, the
party shall be forbidden to use any and all media of mass
information, conduct campaigning or propaganda activity, or
participate in elections.
The activities of a political party may not be suspended for
a period longer than six months. If a political party does not
eliminate legal violations after its activities have been
suspended or if, within a year after the date its activities were
suspended, it again violates the laws of the Republic of
Lithuania, its activities shall be suspended for one year.
After eliminating legal violations, a political party shall
notify the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania [of
this fact], and the Ministry, within five days of the receipt
of such notification, shall permit the political party to resume
its activities.
Article 6. Activities of a political party shall be
suspended if:
(1) the party itself discontinues its activity in the manner
provided by its charter;
(2) the Supreme Court orders the suspension of activities of
a political party.
Article 7. After a motion of the Ministry of Justice, the
Supreme Court of the Republic of Lithuania has the authority to
order the suspension of the activities of a political party, if
after a repeated suspension of its activities within a year the
party shall violate the Provisional Basic Law or this law.
Article 8. Refusal to register a political party or the
suspension of its activities may be appealed to the Supreme Court
of the Republic of Lithuania; (the Court) will rule [on this
case] within 3 days, giving it special judicial preference.
Article 9. All political parties on the territory of the
Republic shall function freely and independently. State bodies,
enterprises, institutions, and organisations, as well as public
organisations and officials shall be prohibited to interfere in
the internal affairs of a political party. Persons interfering
in the functioning of a political party shall be held accountable
according to the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
State bodies, enterprises, institutions, and organisations,
as well as public organisations, other political parties, and
also private persons must compensate a political party for any
material or moral damage inflicted on it by illegal action.
Article 10. The structure of a political party organisation
shall be based on the principle of territorial divisions.
Political party organisations may not be established or function
in work collectives.
Officers or non-commisioned officers of the defence force of
the Republic of Lithuania, personnel of the services of internal
affairs or state security institutions, judges, procurators, or
interrogators may not be members of political parties.
Party membership of persons called for defense service or
persons approved by the Supreme Council or the Government of the
Republic of Lithuania for positions in the Departments of
National Defense or State Security, the Ministry of Internal
Affairs, the Procuracy-General, as well as officers of the
Department of State Control, shall be suspended for the duration
of their service or employment.
Persons whose membership in a political party has been
suspended may not vote or be elected to the organisational bodies
of a political party, nor may such persons execute the
directives of their party.
Article 11. Political parties shall be entitled to ownership
of buildings, equipment, publishing houses, printing offices,
means of transportation, and other property necessary for the
fulfillment of objectives established in their charters.
The rights of ownership of political parties shall be
regulated by laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
Political parties shall be entitled to use buildings and
other property in accordance with lease contracts concluded with
state and public organisations, enterprises and private persons.
The capital of political parties shall consist of membership
fees, proceeds from publishing activities, donations from private
citizens or public organisations, and other proceeds derived from
legal sources.
Bodies of state power and government, state enterprises,
offices, or organisations have no right in any form or manner to
finance political parties, their organisations, deputies, or
groups which represent political parties.
Political parties may not receive finances or any other
funds given by governmental institutions of other countries or
their organisations or financial foundations.
Political parties may receive finances or other resources
from international organisations, non-governmental organisations,
financial foundations, or persons, only according to procedures
established by laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
Any finances or assets obtained illegally shall be
transferred to the property of the Republic of Lithuania by a
decision of the court.
A party member is not entitled to ownership of party
property and is not responsible for the liabilities of a
political party.
Article 12. Political parties represented in the Supreme
Council of the Republic of Lithuania shall be entitled to
subsidies from the State Budget of the Republic of Lithuania in
accordance with the procedure established by law.
Article 13. Financial activities of political parties shall
be monitored by financial institutions of the Republic.
Political parties shall file a declaration on their annual
financial activity with financial institutions each fiscal year
and make the budget revenue and its resources, expenditures, and
its appropriation available to the public no later than on or
before 1 February of the proceeding year.
Article 14. All political parties shall be equally entitled
to participate in the election of government institutions.
During elections, all candidates to the post of deputy shall be
provided with equal opportunities to use the mass media, free of
charge, in accordance with procedures established by the Election
Law of the Republic of Lithuania.
Central institutions of political parties shall have the
right to legislative initiative.
Article 15. Political parties shall be entitled to form
coalitions, unions, and electoral blocks.
Article 16. Political parties shall be entitled to free
vocal or written dissemination of information on their activity,
to propagate its ideas, goals, and programs.
Political parties shall have the right to establish media of
mass information, with the exception of radio and television, and
also, in conformity with established regulations, to make use of
the of the state press and other mass media.
Article 17. In accordance with procedures established by
laws of the Republic of Lithuania, political parties have the
right to hold rallies, demonstrations, meetings, and other mass
events.
Article 18. A political party which by illegal actions
inflicts material or moral damage to the state, its enterprises,
institutions, organisations, other political parties or public
organisations, must compensate for such damage from its resources
in accordance with procedures established by the laws of the
Republic of Lithuania.
Article 19. Political parties have the right to maintain
relations with political parties of other countries, as well as
international and other organisations.
Article 20. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of
Lithuania shall monitor the compliance of political parties with
the laws of the Republic of Lithuania. The Procurator-General of
the Republic of Lithuania has the right to suspend or terminate
the functioning of a political party. Political parties may
appeal for the suspension or termination of the functioning of
other political parties.
Demands or appeals to suspend or terminate the functioning