The Second Seimas of Lithuania was the second parliament (

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 ...

) democratically elected in

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 ...

after it declared independence on February 16, 1918. It was the only regular interwar Seimas which completed its full three-year term from May 1923 to March 1926.

History

The

First Seimas First Seimas of Lithuania was the first parliament (Seimas) democratically elected in Lithuania after it declared independence on February 16, 1918. History The elections took place on October 10–11, 1922 to replace the Constituent Assembl ...

, elected in fall 1922, was in virtual deadlock as no party or coalition could gain a majority. President

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 forced to dissolve it on March 12, 1923. The elections to a new Seimas took place on May 12 and May 13, 1923. The

Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

gained two additional seats which were enough to give them a slim majority. At first they tried to form a coalition with the

Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union ( lt, Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga, LVŽS)The party is also known as Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union. is a green-conservative and agrarian political party in Lithuania led by Ram ...

. The Populists demanded lifting the

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...

(introduced during the

Lithuanian Wars of Independence The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles ( lt, Laisvės kovos), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Be ...

), prohibiting political campaigning in churches, and three portfolios in the new cabinet of ministers. The Christian Democrats were not inclined to satisfy the demands and the coalition broke apart in June 1924. The Christian Democrats reelected Stulginskis as the President of Lithuania and

Ernestas Galvanauskas Ernestas Galvanauskas (20 November 1882 – 24 July 1967) was a Lithuanian engineer, politician and one of the founders of the Peasant Union (which later merged with the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union). He also served twice as Prime Minis ...

as the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

. The new cabinet of ministers included two Populists: Ministers of Internal Affairs and Transport. However, the government was not stable and was forced to resign in June 1924 after the coalition with Populists collapsed. The new cabinet, headed by

Antanas Tumėnas Antanas Tumėnas (13 May 1880 in Kurkliečiai, near Rokiškis – 8 February 1946 in Bachmanning, Austria) was a Lithuanian politician, teacher, professor of law, judge, Prime Minister of Lithuania in the 10th cabinet, Chairman of the Supreme Co ...

, managed to stay in power only for seven months. In January 1925

Vytautas Petrulis Vytautas Petrulis (born February 3, 1890 in Katelišės, near Vabalninkas; executed in 1942, near Uchta, RSFSR) was a Lithuanian politician, one of the main figures in the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party, and an accountant. He is often nic ...

was asked to form a new cabinet. It resigned in September 1925 when it agreed to neutralize the

Neman River The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ; ...

and allow international traffic, which primarily benefited Poland, an enemy of Lithuania over 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 ...

. The last cabinet was formed by

Leonas Bistras Leonas Bistras (20 October 1890 in Liepāja – 17 October 1971 in Kaunas) was one of the most prominent Lithuanian politicians of the interwar period. A Christian Democrat, he rose to the peak of his career in 1925, when he was appointed as the P ...

. Despite apparent political instability the Seimas managed to introduce some economic stability. The country, after years of World War I and Independence Wars, entered a peaceful period. The Seimas continued the land reform, expanded the network of primary and secondary schools, introduced social support systems.

References

{{Seimas of Lithuania Legal history of Lithuania 1920s in Lithuania 02