ABSTRACT
More than a decade after the beginning of the transformation process in Lithuania, the economy and politics are restructured and private ownership and a multiparty system are successfully established. Since 1990, three parliamentary elections, three presidential elections and five municipal elections have been held. In a country with 3.5 million inhabitants and about 2.3 million registered voters, the number of political parties reached 36 in 2002. Private owners manage more than 80 percent of Lithuanian companies. Lithuania re-introduced her national currency in 1993 and restored membership in major international organizations. In 1991, Lithuania expressed the wish to join the EU and the NATO, was invited to join both organizations in 2002, and subsequently attained full membership.
