Lithuania is a unitary state composed of municipalities (savivaldybe).

 

 

 

The municipal council (savivaldybes taryba) is elected by direct universal suffrage for a total of four years. It is the municipality's legislative and decision-making body.  The council adopts the budget and has the power to establish smaller territorial units, otherwise known as districts (seniunija).

 

The administration director (administracijos direktorius) is in charge of all executive tasks.  He/she is nominated by the municipal council for an undetermined duration, which is however limited to the four-year municipal term. The director can be dismissed by council decision on the proposal of the mayor and will have to resign when the new council meets for the first time.  He/she is directly and personally responsible for the implementation in the municipality of laws and decisions made by the national government or the municipal council.

 

The mayor (meras) is elected by and from within the municipal council for an undetermined duration, which is usually limited to the four-year municipal term. He/she can be dismissed by council decision and will have to resign when the new council meets for the first time. The mayor is the head of the municipality and chairs municipal council meetings. 

 

 

By council decision, each municipality can be administratively divided into smaller territorial units called districts (seniunija). These units are generally responsible for the provision of daily municipal services to citizens.

 

The district is headed by a seniunas, a civil servant appointed by the municipal council.

 

An advisory council composed of citizens can be established within the district, so as to provide the local administration with advice on how to better provide municipal services or on how to draft and implement local policies.

 

 

. Budget
. Pre-school, primary and secondary education
. Civil protection
. Culture
. Environmental protection
. Environmental and public sanitation
. Labour market measures and promotion of entrepreneurship
. Primary health care
. Public services and municipal property management
. Spatial planning
. Sport
. Tourism