ABSTRACT
According to the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, legislative power belongs to the Parliament, and executive power consists of the president and the government of the Republic of Lithuania. The central administration of Lithuania consists of four main groups of institutions, which are classified according to the legal criteria of accountability. The four main groups are: institutions accountable to the government as well as the office of the prime minister; ministries and institutions under them; institutions directly accountable to the Parliament; and institutions accountable to the administration of the president of Lithuania. Lithuanian administrative culture can be associated with a mix or diffusion of three different historical layers: the heritage of independent statehood from the interwar period; the Soviet legacy; and the constructed or imagined European administrative tradition. One of the most peculiar features of public administration in Lithuania is its clear dominance of legalism.
