Constituent Assembly of Lithuania
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The Constituent Assembly of Lithuania ( lt, Steigiamasis Seimas) was the first parliament of the independent state of Lithuania to be elected in a direct, democratic, general, secret election. The Assembly assumed its duties on 15 May 1920 and was disbanded in October 1922.


Legal grounds

Following the last Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
was annexed by and became part of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. On 21 September 1917,
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
played host to the Lithuanian Conference which resolved that, to lay groundwork for the independent
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and regulate its relations with the neighbours, a Constituent Assembly, elected under the principles of democracy by all of its residents, had to be convened in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
. The resolutions of the Conference were to be implemented by an executive body: the
Lithuanian Council The Council of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Taryba, german: Litauischer Staatsrat, pl, Rada Litewska), after July 11, 1918 the State Council of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Valstybės Taryba) was convened at the Vilnius Conference that took place betw ...
of 20 members (to become the Council of the State of Lithuania as of 11 July 1918). It was this Council that adopted the Act of Independence on 16 February 1918, stipulating that a Constituent Assembly was to be convened as soon as possible. On 2 November 1918, the Council of the State of
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
passed the Fundamental Laws of the Provisional Constitution of the State of Lithuania, which said that the future form of the state of Lithuania would be determined by the Constituent Assembly. The Law on the Election of the Constituent Assembly was adopted on 30 October 1919.


Elections

Lithuania was divided into 11 constituencies, of which 5 were not controlled by Lithuanians at the time. The total designated number of mandates was 229, but the Polish-controlled
Vilnius region Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time. The territor ...
and the French-controlled
Klaipėda region The Klaipėda Region ( lt, Klaipėdos kraštas) or Memel Territory (german: Memelland or ''Memelgebiet'') was defined by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles in 1920 and refers to the northernmost part of the German province of East Prussia, when as ...
were barred from the elections. The constituencies under Lithuania's control were able to elect 112 representatives, one per population 15,000. Every citizen aged 21 and above was entitled to vote; the voting age threshold for the military was 17. The paragraph in the Provisional Constitution stating that the Constituent Assembly would gather in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
was amended. The rights and duties of the parties and fines and punishment for the obstruction of the elections, agitation by state officials during work-hours, destruction of visual ads and electoral lists, exercise of coercion or bribery towards voters, agitation out of place and time.


Representatives

The elections took place on 14–15 April 1920. The
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Univ ...
reached about 90%. The voters, both men and women, elected 112 representatives. The majority of votes were cast in favour of the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party, securing it a parliamentary representation of 59 seats. The block of the Lithuanian Popular Socialist Democratic Party and the Lithuanian Peasants’ Union placed second with 28 mandates. The Socialist Democrats won 13 seats, while ethnic minorities secured 10 mandates (6 went to Jews, 3 to Poles, 1 to a German). There were two non-partisan representatives. Later on, the parliamentary structure would shift. By way of rotation, some representatives would step down to be replaced by new ones. As a result, 150 persons had held a seat at the parliament by the end of the term. Most representatives were very young: 26 of them were aged 30 or under, and only two 12 members of the parliament were 50 or older. Of them, 4 were members of the Jewish faction. The majority of the members of the parliament (37 out of 150) had a college degree, with the group of self-taught representatives coming in second (26 out of 150). Seven representatives were graduates of a spiritual academy or a divinity school. The parliament had 8 female representatives. By way of seniority, MP Gabrielė Petkevičaitė–Bitė chaired the solemn inaugural meeting, with Ona Muraškaitė–Račiukaitienė, being the youngest member of the parliament, acting as secretary. It was a major achievement for women at the time.In terms of trade, most members of the parliament were farmers (21). They were followed by teachers (18), officials, co-operators, and municipal workers (18), craftsmen and workmen (17), lawyers (13), priests and rabbis (12), military officers (13).


Accomplishments

The first meeting took place on 15 May 1920 in
Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Traka ...
, the temporary capital.
Aleksandras Stulginskis Aleksandras Stulginskis (26 February 1885 – 22 September 1969) was the second President of Lithuania (1920–1926). Stulginskis was also acting President of Lithuania for a few hours later in 1926, following a military coup that was led ...
was elected as the chairman and ''
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...
'' president. As soon as 10 June 1920, it passed the third and the final draft of the constitution. On 12 June 1920 a peace treaty was signed with the
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
. It was highly beneficial to Lithuania as
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
recognized its independence ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legall ...
'' (the first state to do so after 1918) and acknowledged that vast areas of the
Vilnius region Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time. The territor ...
belonged to Lithuania. Shortly after the defeat in the Battle of Warsaw, the withdrawing
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
handed Vilnius over to Lithuania, in accordance with the agreement. From October 1920 till February 1921, the Constituent Assembly was adjourned because the Lithuanian-Belarusian Division of the
Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...
under General
Lucjan Żeligowski Lucjan Żeligowski (; 17 October 1865 – 9 July 1947) was a Polish-Lithuanian general, politician, military commander and veteran of World War I, the Polish-Soviet War and World War II. He is mostly remembered for his role in Żeligowski's ...
seized
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
. Many representatives went to the front to defend the historic capital. Before adjourning it had created the so-called Small Seimas (Lithuanian: ''Mažasis Seimas'') consisting of the Chairman and six members of the regular Constituent Assembly who were authorized to pass urgent laws. In March 1921, after international
arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ...
, a border treaty with
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
was signed. 21 km of coastline including the towns of Palanga and Šventoji were transferred to Lithuania. It also defended its interest in the city of Mažeikiai. In return, Latvia received the so-called Aknysta foreland (Latvian: ''Aknīste'') north of
Rokiškis Rokiškis () is a city in northeastern Lithuania with a population of about 14,400. History The legend of the founding of Rokiškis tells about a hunter called Rokas who had been hunting for hares ( Lit. "kiškis"). However, cities ending in " ...
. In total, Latvia gained about 100 km² more than Lithuania. This treaty solved all border conflicts with Latvia and the border remains the same today. It became a foundation for good and healthy cooperation between the two nations. On 23 September 1921 Lithuania became a member of the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...
. Most of the world's countries immediately recognized its independence. On 15 February 1922 it passed a law on land reform. It was a decade-long reform which nationalized land owned by the nobility and distributed it to the volunteers who fought in the Freedom Wars and to peasants who owned none or very little land. This way Lithuania's agriculture was based on small (20-50 ha) farms. Over the years 459,000 ha of land were distributed to over 65,000 people. The nobility was allowed to keep 80 ha of land and was reimbursed an average of 27
litas The Lithuanian litas ( ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (gen ...
per
hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre i ...
(equivalent to $2.70 USD under the exchange rate in 1922) for nationalized land. People who received land, except for the volunteers, were required to pay for the land for 36 years. The main goal, to adopt a new constitution, was reached on 1 August 1922. The constitution granted broad powers to the
Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendm ...
, the Parliament. It selected the Cabinet of Ministers and elected the President. The Seimas and the president were to be elected every three years in democratic elections. Lithuania was declared a democratic republic modeled after the example of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Because of the Christian democrats' majority, the constitution clearly reflected Christian ideas. For example, it established that religious education is mandatory and its
preamble A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subj ...
starts with the words "In the name of Almighty God" (Lithuanian: ''Vardan Dievo Visagalio''). On 9 September a law was passed on the national currency, introducing the
litas The Lithuanian litas ( ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (gen ...
. On 1 October, it was introduced.
Litas The Lithuanian litas ( ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (gen ...
became one of the stronger currencies in Europe. On 16 February 1922, the Lithuanian University was established and had its statute was approved on the initiative of V. Čepinskis a month later. On 6 October 1922 the Constituent Assembly resigned. A new regular
Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendm ...
started on 13 November. The assembly passed approximately 150 laws, strengthened the state's administrative system, and laid the foundations of the future economic, social and cultural life in Lithuania. The Constituent Assembly continued to work for 29 months, held 257 plenary sessions and 963 panel sittings, passed over 300 laws. Its main achievement was the first permanent Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, which was adopted on 1 August 1922 to close the cycle of the prior provisional constitutions: * The 1st Provisional Constitution (2 November 1918) * The 2nd Provisional Constitution (4 April 1919) * The 3rd Provisional Constitution (10 June 1920)


Speakers of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania

* Gabriele Petkevicaite-Bite (chaired the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly) 15 May 1920 *
Aleksandras Stulginskis Aleksandras Stulginskis (26 February 1885 – 22 September 1969) was the second President of Lithuania (1920–1926). Stulginskis was also acting President of Lithuania for a few hours later in 1926, following a military coup that was led ...
, 1920-1922.


The importance of the Constituent Assembly

The Assembly cemented the principles of western democracy grounded on the freedom of faith, consciousness, speech, the equality of nations and genders before the law, the immunity of a person. The expiry of the Constituent Assembly's term marked the end of the national rebirth in Lithuania, the restoration of the state, resulting in building a legal foundation for the independent state. In addition to the fundamental laws (the standing Constitution, the land reform, the introduction of the
Litas The Lithuanian litas ( ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (gen ...
, and the establishment of the
university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
), other areas of life were regulated as well. The country switched to a metric system,
Central European time Central European Time (CET) is a standard time which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CE ...
, implemented executive control, and became an active player on the international stage. During the term of the Constituent Assembly, Lithuania received ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legall ...
'' recognition from 16 states.


See also

*
Sejm of Central Lithuania Sejm of Central Lithuania ( pl, Sejm Litwy Środkowej), also known as the Vilnius Sejm, or Wilno Sejm ( pl, Sejm Wileński) or the Adjudicating Sejm ( pl, Sejm Orzekający), was the parliament of the short-lived state of Central Lithuania. Formed ...


References

{{Commons category 1920s in Lithuania Defunct unicameral legislatures Legal history of Lithuania Lithuanian constitutional law
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
Seimas