Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR
Encyclopedia
The Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR was the supreme soviet
(main legislative institution) of the Lithuanian SSR
, one of the republics comprising the Soviet Union
. The Supreme Soviet was established in August 1940 when the People's Seimas declared itself the provisional Supreme Soviet. According to the constitution it was very similar to modern democratic parliaments: it was elected every four (later five) years and had the power to create, amend and ratify the constitution, laws, and treaties and appoint officials in the Council of Ministers (the executive branch). However, in reality the elections were staged, the Soviet had very little actual power and carried out orders given by the Communist Party of Lithuania
(CPL). The situation changed in 1988, when the Lithuanians began seeking independence form the Soviet Union. The political power shifted from CPL to the Soviet, which adopted a number of important constitutional amendments and laws, paving the way for the independence. The first free elections were held in February 1990
and were won by pro-independence Sąjūdis
. During its first session the Supreme Soviet adopted the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
and renamed itself the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania.
was completed in 1981, the Soviet gathered at the Russian Drama Theater of Lithuania. In between the session the Presidium acted on behalf of the Supreme Soviet. The representatives were elected in general elections every four (since 1975 – every five) years. The elections were held in January 1941, February 1947, January 1951, February 1955, March 1959, March 1963, March 1967, June 1971, June 1975, February 1980, February 1985, and February 1990. All candidates had to be pre-approved by the CPL, which did not allow any members of the opposition to run. The candidates were selected so that each Soviet had the same proportion of social groups; for example, women comprised about a third of the delegates, factory workers about a half. According to official results, voter turnout
reached 97.91% during the 1947 elections. Other elections, except for the one in February 1990, were similarly staged. One delegate represented approximately 10,000 people; thus the number of delegates grew from 180 in 1947 to 350 in 1980.
) of that legislature.
The chairmen were:
Presidium
was the permanent body of the Supreme Soviet. Its chairman was the de jure
head of state. The presidium (chairman, two vice-chairmen, secretary, and 13 other members) was elected during the first session of the Soviet. Formally it had great power while the Supreme Soviet was not in session. For example, it could ratify international treaties or amend laws. However, in reality it was a rubber stamp
institution for the CPL and de facto
head of state was the First Secretary of the CPL.
The chairmen of the Presidium were:
and glastnost, the Lithuanians began taking steps towards independence or at least autonomy from the Soviet Union
. The Soviet became the official venue to seek independence in a legal manner. Starting with its 10th session on October 17–18, 1988, the proceedings were televised, hotly debated, and in the center of attention. The political power shifted from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania to the Supreme Soviet, which transformed itself from a rubber stamp institution to an actual legislature. In about a year and a half, the Soviet reinstated interwar coat of arms of Lithuania
and national anthem Tautiška giesmė
, declared superiority of Lithuanian laws over the laws of the Soviet Union, laid groundwork for de-collectivisation, investigated and condemned events surrounding the occupation of Lithuania in 1940
, granted religious freedom, adopted citizenship law, enacted new truly democratic election law reducing the number of delegates to 141, abolished political monopoly of the Communist Party allowing other parties to run in the next election. The delegates struggled with changed duties. About 100 of conservative, pro-Soviet delegates did not attend the sessions. Others, accustomed to blindly following orders from top, voted according to the wishes of the presidium and displayed political immaturity. For example, during a vote to appoint Kazimira Prunskienė
as a deputy Prime Minister, 100 votes were cast against her during a secret ballot. When the vote was repeated, this time in public, not a single delegate voted against her and only a few abstained.
In February 1990 elections
, when for the first time candidates from the opposition were allowed to run, candidates endorsed by pro-independence Sąjūdis
won 96 seats out of 141. During its first three sessions on March 11, 1990 the Soviet elected Vytautas Landsbergis
as the chairman and adopted the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
. The same day the Soviet changed its name to the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania. It is also known as Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas
(Aukščiausioji Taryba – Atkuriamasis Seimas). The council held it last session on November 11, 1992. It was succeeded by democratically elected Seimas
.
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments...
(main legislative institution) of the Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
, one of the republics comprising the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The Supreme Soviet was established in August 1940 when the People's Seimas declared itself the provisional Supreme Soviet. According to the constitution it was very similar to modern democratic parliaments: it was elected every four (later five) years and had the power to create, amend and ratify the constitution, laws, and treaties and appoint officials in the Council of Ministers (the executive branch). However, in reality the elections were staged, the Soviet had very little actual power and carried out orders given by the Communist Party of Lithuania
Communist Party of Lithuania
The Communist Party of Lithuania was a communist party in Lithuania, established in early October 1918. The party was banned in December 1926.-History:...
(CPL). The situation changed in 1988, when the Lithuanians began seeking independence form the Soviet Union. The political power shifted from CPL to the Soviet, which adopted a number of important constitutional amendments and laws, paving the way for the independence. The first free elections were held in February 1990
Lithuanian parliamentary election, 1990
The Lithuanian legislative elections for 141 seats in the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR were held in the Lithuanian SSR on 24 February with run-off elections on 4, 7, 8 and 10 March 1990. In six constituencies voter turnout was below required minimum, therefore a third round was held on...
and were won by pro-independence Sąjūdis
Sajudis
Sąjūdis initially known as the Reform Movement of Lithuania, is the political organization which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was established on June 3, 1988 and was led by Vytautas Landsbergis...
. During its first session the Supreme Soviet adopted the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania or Act of March 11 was an independence declaration by the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted on March 11, 1990...
and renamed itself the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania.
Organization
The structure and functions of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR were copied from the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. The sessions of the Supreme Soviet lasted only several days twice a year and decisions were made unanimously and without much discussion. Until the dedicated Seimas PalaceSeimas Palace
Seimas Palace is the Lithuanian parliament named Seimas seat in Lithuania's capital Vilnius. Works on the construction of the first wing of palace were carried out in 1976. The Construction was supervised by architects Algimantas Nasvytis and Vytautas Nasvytis. In 1980 9717,37 square meters palace...
was completed in 1981, the Soviet gathered at the Russian Drama Theater of Lithuania. In between the session the Presidium acted on behalf of the Supreme Soviet. The representatives were elected in general elections every four (since 1975 – every five) years. The elections were held in January 1941, February 1947, January 1951, February 1955, March 1959, March 1963, March 1967, June 1971, June 1975, February 1980, February 1985, and February 1990. All candidates had to be pre-approved by the CPL, which did not allow any members of the opposition to run. The candidates were selected so that each Soviet had the same proportion of social groups; for example, women comprised about a third of the delegates, factory workers about a half. According to official results, voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
reached 97.91% during the 1947 elections. Other elections, except for the one in February 1990, were similarly staged. One delegate represented approximately 10,000 people; thus the number of delegates grew from 180 in 1947 to 350 in 1980.
Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet was the presiding officer (speakerSpeaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
) of that legislature.
The chairmen were:
| Name | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boleslavas Baranauskas | August 25, 1940 | 1951 | In RSFSR exile 1941–1944 due to World War II |
| Feliksas Bieliauskas | 1951 | 1955 | |
| Vladas Niunka | 1955 | April 18, 1963 | |
| Antanas Barkauskas | April 18, 1963 | December 24, 1975 | |
| Ringaudas Songaila | December 24, 1975 | January 16, 1981 | |
| Lionginas Šepetys Lionginas Šepetys Lionginas Šepetys is a Lithuanian politician. He became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR in 1981. In 1990 Šepetys was among those who signed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania.-References:... |
June 1981 | March 10, 1990 | |
| Vytautas Landsbergis Vytautas Landsbergis Professor Vytautas Landsbergis is a Lithuanian conservative politician and Member of the European Parliament. He was the first head of state of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union, and served as the Head of the Lithuanian Parliament Seimas... |
March 11, 1990 | March 11, 1990 | Became chairman of the Reconstituent Seimas Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas The Supreme Council Supreme Council – Restoration Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania , was the supreme governing body, elected in 1990... |
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
| Composition of the Supreme Soviet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1967 | 1971 | 1975 | 1980 |
| Number of deputies | 290 | 300 | 320 | 350 |
| Members of CPSU | 67% | 68% | 67% | 67% |
| Factory workers | 51% | 50% | 50 % | 50% |
| Women | 32% | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Youth representatives | 11% | 17% | 20 % | 20% |
| With higher education | 42% | 45% | 48% | 51% |
| Re-elected deputies | 31% | 31% | 33% | 30% |
Presidium
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was a Soviet governmental institution – a permanent body of the Supreme Soviets . This body was of the all-Union level , as well as in all Soviet republics and autonomous republics...
was the permanent body of the Supreme Soviet. Its chairman was the de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
head of state. The presidium (chairman, two vice-chairmen, secretary, and 13 other members) was elected during the first session of the Soviet. Formally it had great power while the Supreme Soviet was not in session. For example, it could ratify international treaties or amend laws. However, in reality it was a rubber stamp
Rubber stamp (politics)
A rubber stamp, as a political metaphor, refers to a person or institution with considerable de jure power but little de facto power; one that rarely disagrees with more powerful organs....
institution for the CPL and de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
head of state was the First Secretary of the CPL.
The chairmen of the Presidium were:
| Name | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justas Paleckis Justas Paleckis Justas Paleckis was a Lithuanian journalist and politician. He was acting president of Lithuania after the Soviet invasion while Lithuania was still ostensibly independent, in office from June 17 – August 3, 1940.... |
August 25, 1940 | April 14, 1967 | In RSFSR exile 1941–1944 due to World War II |
| Motiejus Šumauskas Motiejus Šumauskas Motiejus or Matas Šumauskas was a Lithuanian communist activist and politician. He served as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1956 to 1963 and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR from 1967 to 1975.Šumauskas received only... |
April 14, 1967 | December 24, 1975 | |
| Antanas Barkauskas | December 24, 1975 | November 18, 1985 | |
| Ringaudas Songaila | November 18, 1985 | December 7, 1987 | |
| Vytautas Astrauskas | December 7, 1987 | January 15, 1990 | |
| Algirdas Brazauskas Algirdas Brazauskas Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was the first President of a newly independent post-Soviet Union Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006.... |
January 15, 1990 | March 11, 1990 |
Declaration of independence
The Soviet became an important political battleground since 1988. Inspired and encouraged by perestroikaPerestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and glastnost, the Lithuanians began taking steps towards independence or at least autonomy from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The Soviet became the official venue to seek independence in a legal manner. Starting with its 10th session on October 17–18, 1988, the proceedings were televised, hotly debated, and in the center of attention. The political power shifted from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania to the Supreme Soviet, which transformed itself from a rubber stamp institution to an actual legislature. In about a year and a half, the Soviet reinstated interwar coat of arms of Lithuania
Coat of arms of Lithuania
The coat of arms of Lithuania, consisting of an armor-clad knight on horseback holding an olden sword and shield, is also known as Vytis . The Lithuanian coat of arms is one of the oldest national coats of arms in Europe...
and national anthem Tautiška giesmė
Tautiška giesme
Tautiška giesmė is the national anthem of Lithuania, also known by its opening words "Lietuva, Tėvyne mūsų" and as "Lietuvos himnas"...
, declared superiority of Lithuanian laws over the laws of the Soviet Union, laid groundwork for de-collectivisation, investigated and condemned events surrounding the occupation of Lithuania in 1940
Occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union (1940)
The occupation and annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union covers the period from the Soviet–Baltic mutual assistance pacts in 1939, to the illegal annexation in 1940, to the mass deportations of 1941...
, granted religious freedom, adopted citizenship law, enacted new truly democratic election law reducing the number of delegates to 141, abolished political monopoly of the Communist Party allowing other parties to run in the next election. The delegates struggled with changed duties. About 100 of conservative, pro-Soviet delegates did not attend the sessions. Others, accustomed to blindly following orders from top, voted according to the wishes of the presidium and displayed political immaturity. For example, during a vote to appoint Kazimira Prunskienė
Kazimira Prunskiene
Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė was the first Prime Minister of Lithuania after the declaration of independence of March 11, 1990 and Minister of Agriculture in the government of Gediminas Kirkilas....
as a deputy Prime Minister, 100 votes were cast against her during a secret ballot. When the vote was repeated, this time in public, not a single delegate voted against her and only a few abstained.
In February 1990 elections
Lithuanian parliamentary election, 1990
The Lithuanian legislative elections for 141 seats in the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR were held in the Lithuanian SSR on 24 February with run-off elections on 4, 7, 8 and 10 March 1990. In six constituencies voter turnout was below required minimum, therefore a third round was held on...
, when for the first time candidates from the opposition were allowed to run, candidates endorsed by pro-independence Sąjūdis
Sajudis
Sąjūdis initially known as the Reform Movement of Lithuania, is the political organization which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was established on June 3, 1988 and was led by Vytautas Landsbergis...
won 96 seats out of 141. During its first three sessions on March 11, 1990 the Soviet elected Vytautas Landsbergis
Vytautas Landsbergis
Professor Vytautas Landsbergis is a Lithuanian conservative politician and Member of the European Parliament. He was the first head of state of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union, and served as the Head of the Lithuanian Parliament Seimas...
as the chairman and adopted the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania or Act of March 11 was an independence declaration by the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted on March 11, 1990...
. The same day the Soviet changed its name to the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania. It is also known as Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas
Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas
The Supreme Council Supreme Council – Restoration Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania , was the supreme governing body, elected in 1990...
(Aukščiausioji Taryba – Atkuriamasis Seimas). The council held it last session on November 11, 1992. It was succeeded by democratically elected Seimas
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
.