Press release, 15 May 2020
On the eve of the Centenary of the Constituent Seimas and the Republic of Lithuania on 14 May 2020, the Seimas solemnly marked one of the most significant anniversaries in our country.
On 15 May 1920, the democratically elected Constituent Seimas convened for its first sitting. It obeyed the will, and completed the work, of the Signatories to the Act of 16 February 1918 by unanimously declaring the restoration of the State of Lithuania as a democratic republic. This declaration by the Constituent Seimas has remained in force to the present day and laid one among many foundations for the Act of 11 March 1990.
The solemn sitting featured welcome addresses by Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania, and Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas. A keynote speech was delivered by Prof. Arūnas Gumuliauskas, historian, Head of the Working Group for the Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Restoration of the Independence of Lithuania and the Centenary of the Constituent Seimas and the Republic of Lithuania, and Chair of the Commission for the Cause of Freedom and the National Historical Memory. The following are the most noteworthy passages of their speeches.
Gitanas Nausėda:
A hundred years ago on 15 May 1920, the Constituent Seimas, having convened in the provisional capital of Kaunas, expressed the will of the people of Lithuania by declaring ‘the restored independent State of Lithuania as a democratic republic’. The establishment of the Republic of Lithuania crowned the hard and highly significant work commenced by the Great Seimas of Vilnius and continued by the Signatories to the Act of 16 February 1918.
The challenges facing our country are worrying, but even they fade against the severe conditions under which the founding fathers of the independent Republic of Lithuania had to act a hundred years ago. They built the state under the pressure of war, turmoil, deprivation, and many dangerous diseases. Today we have to overcome one, albeit a very dangerous, pandemic.
From 15 May 1920 onwards, Lithuania already firmly knew what it was and what it wanted to be in future.
Benefiting from active participation of women and members of national minorities, the Constituent Seimas was a courageous institution that set the goal of creatively reconstructing the existing social architecture, economy and politics.
Today, we can confidently assert that the Constituent Seimas left a deep imprint on both the physical and intellectual map of Lithuania. Even at the darkest hour, the people of our country continued to dream of the lost and, therefore, extremely precious Lithuania born on 16 February 1918 and moving forward on 15 May 1920.
Viktoras Pranckietis:
The Constituent Seimas lies at the very root of democracy in Lithuania.
Today, we congratulate one another on the conspicuous occasion that we can take pride in, since one hundred years ago, elected for the first time in history in peaceful and active democratic elections, the parliament of the legally restored state convened to legitimise the Republic of Lithuania.
Step by step and one law following another ̶ this was the way leading to the creation of a free state reflecting the principles of human rights and the essence of Western democracy and enjoying a true sense of national rebirth. Today’s goal is to protect and foster our country.
A hundred years ago, the Constituent Seimas was a young parliament with the average age of members of merely 36, five of them being as young as 24 years. Its Speaker was the 30-year old Aleksandras Stulginskis, the youngest ever Speaker of the Seimas. This means that the origins of our modern state lie in a strong sense of faith and hope and that young people had the will and power to build, shape and cherish a democratic country. Let Lithuania be young and full of hope today. Dear young people, historical examples show that one can only win by creating, building and having the courage for change. So be bold.
Our predecessors who lived a hundred years ago were heroes! When the Minor Seimas was formed in critical circumstances, its then members took to arms in defence of their homeland. Antanas Matulaitis, a young politician and military officer, even sacrificed his life on the battlefield. May the defenders of freedom enjoy eternal glory.
I believe that the contribution to the development of democracy should get acknowledgement and that this historic date and historical personalities should be commemorated with the medal named after Aleksandras Stulginskis, Speaker of the Constituent Seimas, to be awarded to the people for their prominent role in the advancement of democratic developments.
Arūnas Gumuliauskas:
The convocation of the Constituent Seimas a hundred years ago was the result of consistent and targeted efforts, rather than an accidental event in history.
The Seimas was able to agree on the most controversial issues and adopt legal documents for the reforms that laid the foundations of the state.
Women were clearly visible at the Constituent Seimas. For example, after opening the first sitting by his solemn speech on 15 May 1920 at 6.15 p.m., President Antanas Smetona invited Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, the eldest Member of the Seimas (59), to chair the sitting, while Ona Račiukaitienė-Muraškaitė, the youngest Member of the Seimas (24), became the Secretary of the Presidium. According to Kazys Grinius, this caused a sensation for the journalists worldwide. Thus, this year we mark the beginning of another century with Lithuanian women officially involved in the process of national policy making.
At the solemn event, Lithuania’s leaders and members of the Seimas wrote their best wishes for the second century of the Republic of Lithuania in a special album, the same way as the members of the Constituent Seimas did when commemorating the first anniversary of the Republic of Lithuania on 15 May 1921. (For the album with autographs of the members of the Constituent Seimas, click on the virtual exposition).
On Friday, 15 May 2020, at 10 a.m. the state flags of Lithuania were hoisted in Independence Square. An oak tree in commemoration of the Centenary of the Constituent Seimas and the Republic of Lithuania was planted near Building 2 of the Seimas.
For more information on the Constituent Seimas, see a special section on the Seimas website.