On 10 September, the Seimas of this legislative period will convene to the last session (regular elections to the Seimas will be held on 12 October 2008).
On 10 September, the Seimas of this legislative period will convene to the last session (regular elections to the Seimas will be held on 12 October 2008). The powers of the Seimas of the legislative period 2004–2008 will terminate after the newly elected Seimas convenes to the first sitting.
The Seimas plans to hold 24 sittings: prior to the elections it will convene only on Mondays (morning and evening sittings will be held), and after the second election round (26 October) – on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The last sitting is scheduled on 13 November. Therefore, the Seimas will approve the autumn session work programme for the period from September to November, i.e. until 13 November, because taking into account the implementation of programmes of parties which win the elections, the new Seimas may define other priorities.
The autumn session will be very tense for both the parliamentarians whose term of office is approaching the end and the newly elected parliamentarians – the Government has proposed to include 279 draft laws and Seimas resolutions on the 2008 work programme of the 9th (autumn) session of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The Seimas failed to finish deliberation of 56 drafts of them in the spring session. The Government proposes to deliberate 45 drafts at the special urgency procedure. They include two drafts under the procedure of violation of the European Union law.
In accordance with the programme submitted by the Government, the Seimas of this legislative period will deliberate 229 drafts (of which 22 Eurointegrational) from September to November. The newly elected Seimas will have 71 drafts (of which 9 Eurointegrational) in November and December.
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The Seimas shall meet in two regular spring and autumn sessions: the spring session shall open on 10 March and shall close on 30 June; the autumn session shall open on 10 September and shall close on 24 December.
The preparation of sessions, with the exception of the first session, shall be organised by the Speaker of the Seimas. Together with the Deputy Speakers of the Seimas, he shall prepare drafts of the work programme of the session and of the agenda of sittings held during the first week.
The session work programme shall be drafted taking into consideration proposals of the Government, Seimas committees, commissions, parliamentary groups and individual Members of the Seimas, drafts submitted by the President of the Republic and issues of ratification and denunciation of international treaties. The Seimas shall also decide whether or not to approve of the candidatures of the judges and officers appointed by the President of the Republic.