[1] In the 18th century the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, a federal entity consisting of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, faced a period of decline due to increasingly dysfunctional internal politics.

[3] The new constitution abolished the liberum veto and banned the szlachta's confederations, features that had crippled decision making the state.

[2] The constitution also provided for a separation of powers among legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, established "popular sovereignty" and extended political rights to the bourgeoisie.

Reciprocal Guarantee of Two Nations of 22 October 1791 accompanied the constitution, affirming the unity and indivisibility of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within a single state and their equal representation in state-governing bodies.

[4] The 1791 document remained in force for less than 19 months; after a brief war with Russia, it was annulled by the Grodno Sejm on 23 November 1793.

At the time, it was still constrained by the decision of 11 July 1918, declaring Lithuania a constitutional monarchy, with close ties to Germany.

In a changing environment, the council chose to adopt the constitutional act without specifying the form of government or the head of state, leaving the decisions to the Constituent Assembly (Steigiamasis Seimas).

The constitution envisioned a strong parliament (the Seimas) and a politically weakened president as the head of state.

[6] A coup on 17 December 1926 started the process of transforming the Republic of Lithuania into an authoritarian state headed by Antanas Smetona as the President.

Instead, the government started working on a new constitution, approved by the newly assembled Seimas in 1938 (opposition was not allowed to stand for election).

The constitution retained the overall authoritarian character of the 1928 document, and declared that the state was the foundation of existence of its citizens and not the other way round.

Ironically, the constitution of 1938 assisted the Soviets in legitimizing their actions by concentrating the power in the hands of the President, the post that was de facto taken over by Justas Paleckis.

On the same day, the 1938 Constitution of Lithuania was restored for a brief period, but subsequently suspended and replaced with the Provisional Basic Law.

However, the government was structured similarly to its Soviet predecessor: legislative and executive functions were combined under the parliament (Supreme Council, Lithuanian: Aukščiausioji Taryba), and the judiciary branch was not independent.

[10] It was a transitional system, as the Provisional Basic Law did not reflect the changing economic and social relations and the evolving demands of the society and the state.

[13] The Constitution of 1992 reflects the combined influence of the institutions and experiences of Western democracies as well as the Lithuanian tradition.

Introductory provisions of the document (Chapter I) contain the fundamental principles of the State, placing high value on democracy, but also asserting the collective and individual right of defence against attempts by force to encroach upon "independence, territorial integrity, or constitutional order of the State".

As already noted, these include free medical care, old-age pensions, unemployment compensation, and support for families and children.

The Seimas consists of 141 members, seventy elected from party lists on the basis of proportional representation and seventy-one from single-member districts.

Finally, the legislature is not entrusted with making decisions concerning the basic characteristics of Lithuanian statehood and democracy.

To be elected in the first round, a candidate must win more than half of the total votes cast, with 50 per cent of the electorate participating.

[clarification needed] The President resolves basic foreign policy issues and can confer military and diplomatic ranks, appoint diplomats without legislative approval, and issue decrees subject to the legislature's right to later overturn a decree by legislative action.