The ''Soim'' ( uk, Сойм Карпатської України) was the parliament of the short-lived Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine. The assembly had its seat in

Khust Khust ( uk, Хуст; hu, Huszt) is a city located on the Khustets River in Zakarpattia Oblast ( province) in western Ukraine. It is near the сonfluence of the Tisa and Rika Rivers. Serving as the administrative center of Khust Raion (distr ...

Background

The establishment of a ''Soim'', an autonomous parliament for the Ruthenian region, had been stipulated in the 11th article of the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. But the establishment of the autonomous parliament was delayed for many years.

Election

After years of delays, election to the ''Soim'' was held on 12 February 1939 on the basis of the passing of legislation by the Czechoslovak parliament providing further autonomy for Carpatho-Ukraine on 22 November 1938. 32 members of the ''Soim'' were elected from a single constituency. The Ukrainian National Union (UNO) presented a unity list for the vote. According to results published, 244,922 out of 265,002 votes cast (92%) went in favour of the unity list. Out of the 32 members elected there were 29 Ukrainians, 1 Czech, 1 German and 1 Romanian. The German deputy was Anton Ernst Oldofredi, leader of the

German People's Council The German People's Council (german: Deutscher Volksrat) was a consultative body in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany that operated in 1948-1949. The main task of the People’s Council was to draw up a constitution on the basis of a draft pres ...

(Deutsche VolksRat, DVR). The elected candidates were

Session

The ''Soim'' met once on 15 March 1939. The inaugural session had been scheduled for 2 March 1939 but the Czecho-Slovak president

Emil Hácha Emil Dominik Josef Hácha (12 July 1872 – 27 June 1945) was a Czech lawyer, the president of Czechoslovakia from November 1938 to March 1939. In March 1939, after the breakup of Czechoslovakia, Hácha was the nominal president of the newly pro ...

opted not to convene the assembly. In response to the Slovak declaration of independence on 14 March 1939, the regional government of

Avgustyn Voloshyn The Rt Rev. Avgustyn Ivanovych Monsignor Voloshyn ( uk , Авґустин Волошин, Августин Волошин, cs, Augustin Monsignore Vološin, 17 March 1874 – 19 July 1945), also called Augustin Voloshyn, was a Carpatho-Ukrain ...

called for an independent Carpatho-Ukrainian state under the protection of the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (lit. German Realm, German Empire, from german: Deutsches Reich, ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty ...

. Whilst the session was in progress the time Hungarian troops were on the offensive in Carpatho-Ukraine and Czecho-Slovak forces were retreating westward. Augustin Stefan served as the speaker of the assembly. Stefan Roscha served as the vice speaker of the assembly. The assembly, with 22 members present, declared the independence of the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine. The session ratified the constitution of the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine, with

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

as the official language and a presidential form of governance. The ''Soim'' elected Voloshyn as President of the Republic. Yulian Revay was named Prime Minister. Khust was attacked by Hungarian forces on the same day as the session was held. Carpatho-Ukraine was annexed by

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

the following day, ending the brief existence of the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine.

''Tragedy of Carpatho-Ukraine''

The ''Soim'' session is depicted in the 1940 movie ''Tragedy of Carpatho-Ukraine'', produced by

Vasyl Avramenko Vasyl Kyrylovych Avramenko ( uk, Василь Кирилович Авраменко; sometimes transcribed as Vasile) (March 22, 1895 – May 6, 1981) was a Ukrainian actor, dancer, choreographer, balletmaster, director, and film producer, c ...

References

{{Ukrainian elections Carpatho-Ukraine Defunct national legislatures Law of Ukraine

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

Elections in Carpatho-Ukraine 1939 in Ukraine