1990 Lithuanian Supreme Soviet election

none Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic 1988 1985 1992 24 February 1990 (first round)4–10 March 1990 (second round) All 141 seats in the Supreme Soviet 71 71.72% yes yes Algirdas Brazauskas LKP (independent) 46 Kazimieras Antanavičius Social Democratic Party of Lithuania 9 Mykolas Burokevičius Communist Party of Lithuania 7 Rūta Gajauskaitė LŽP Lithuanian Green Party 4 Saulius Pečeliūnas Lithuanian Democratic Party new 3 Algirdas Saudargas Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party 2 — Independents 64 By endorsement Endorsed by Sąjūdis Sąjūdis Vytautas Landsbergis 91 Others — 44 Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet Chairman of the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas after Algirdas Brazauskas Communist Party of Lithuania Vytautas Landsbergis Independent(endorsed by Sąjūdis) Supreme Soviet elections were held in the Lithuanian SSR on 24 February with run-off elections on 4, 7, 8 and 10 March 1990 to elect the 141 members of the Supreme Soviet. In six constituencies, voter turnout was below the required minimum and a third round was held on 17 and 21 April.Truska (2009), p. 261 For the first time since 1940 elections to the People's Seimas, non-communist candidates were allowed to run. The elections were the first free nationwide elections since 1926, and only the fifth free elections in all of Lithuanian history. The pro-independence Sąjūdis movement refused to become a political party and endorsed non-partisan candidates or candidates of various other political parties based on their personal merits.Vardys (1997), p. 153 These endorsements often meant more than the official party affiliations, and Sąjūdis-backed candidates won 91 seats, an outright majority. During its third session on 11 March 1990, the Supreme Soviet adopted the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, declaring Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union. Background The Eleventh Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR was elected on 24 February 1985. It acted as rubber stamp legislature up until the summer of 1988. By the summer of that same year Reform Movement was founded and gained support Lithuanian SSR-wide. Along side this, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev announced the slogan of Demokratizatsiya, which intended to make Soviet institutions more democratic. It proposed candidacy of more than one person to single seat in soviets of various levels in the elections. On 15 January 1989 the first free elections took place for two vacant deputies' seats in Šiauliai. One of them has been won by Sąjūdis supported independent candidate Zigmas Vaišvila.https://www.skrastas.lt/aktualijos/siauliai/prisiminimu-vakaras-su-prisipazinimu-apie-sprogdinimus Prisiminimų vakaras – su prisipažinimu apie sprogdinimus | Šiaulių kraštas On 26 March 1989 elections took place for 42 seats in the Congress of People's Deputies. Despite the Easter Sunday celebrations and boycott by dissident organizations such as the Lithuanian Liberty League, the turnout reached 82.5%.Vardys (1997), p. 144 The results were a sweeping victory to Sąjūdis: 36 out of its 39 candidates won against the Communist Party of Lithuania (CPL) (some of these candidates were CPL members themselves). The communists won only 6 seats; two of them were uncontested, as Sąjūdis withdrew its candidates in favor of Algirdas Brazauskas and Vladimiras Beriozovas. CPL, shaken by the defeat, was losing authority and membership. To save the party, its leader Brazauskas moved closer to the pro-independence movements.Vardys (1997), p. 151 By the summer of 1989, the party supported calls for "sovereignty" and cooperated with Sąjūdis. On 29 September 1989 the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR Deputies' Election Act was passed. It reduced future Supreme Soviet by 60 per cent (from 350 to 141 members) and eliminated deputies from local government soviets and various organisations in the process.https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/daa707a05ed611e5beff92bd32ec99a1?jfwid=-15kurjmlwz XI-3249 Dėl Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinės Respublikos Aukščiausiosios Tarybos deputatų rinkimų At the same day, election day to the new Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR was proposed on 24 February 1990,ELTA. Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausiosios Tarybos sesija / Šiaulių naujienos, Nr. 195 (106706), 1989, p. 1 what will be done on 23 November 1989.https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/7b1e24f0400711e59cf1cfda14b526c5?positionInSearchResults=62&searchModelUUID=a62653d0-d6cb-4b92-87a8-b98403d30251 Xi-3408 Dėl Dvyliktojo Šaukimo Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausiosios Tarybos Deputatų Rinkimų Paskyrimo Initially, appointment (not electing) over one third of all deputies was proposed, but, due to public pressure, this proposal was not put in Election Act.https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/e136d650726c11e59a1ed226d1cbceb5?positionInSearchResults=1417&searchModelUUID=d121a6c2-6b9f-408a-863a-9d82c8c3cbaf XI-2960 Dėl Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausiosios Tarybos deputatų ir vietinių liaudies deputatų tarybų deputatų rinkimų įstatymų projektų rengimo ir rinkimų datos į šias tarybas nustatymo On 7 December 1989 the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR, then almost fully controlled by CPL, amended the Constitution of the Lithuanian SSR eliminating Article 6, which established communist party monopoly in political life.Senn (1995), p. 76 At the same day, Article 7, which established participation of the Lithuanian Komsomol in political life (including elections), was amended as well.https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/4756ca50598911e5a9129f08109b20ec?positionInSearchResults=2&searchModelUUID=a62653d0-d6cb-4b92-87a8-b98403d30251 Xi-3453 Dėl Lietuvos TSR Konstitucijos (Pagrindinio Įstatymo) 6 Ir 7 Straipsnių Pakeitimo These decisions meant that Lithuania eliminated legal obstacles for a multi-party system and allowed other parties to compete in the upcoming parliamentary elections. During its 20th congress on 19–20 December the CPL separated itself from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) by a vote of 855 to 160.Vardys (1997), p. 152 For such insubordination, Brazauskas was scolded in a special session of the Central Committee of CPSU and Mikhail Gorbachev made a personal visit to Lithuania to heal the rift in January 1990.Senn (1995), pp. 78–80, 83–84 However, such measures changed little and CPL (independent) kept slowly pushing for independence. This political divorce was not approved by hardline communists. They established a separate CPL, which was still part of the CPSU, and claimed to be the legal successor of the "real" CPL.Senn (1995), p. 77 This pro-Moscow group was led by Mykolas Burokevičius and included disproportionately large numbers of representatives from Russian and Polish minorities. Electoral system Members of the Supreme Soviet were elected from single-member constituencies by two-round system. Second round has been used or repeated if no candidate reach 50 per cent of all votes given or less than 50 per cent of all registered voters, who voted in constituency. Campaign The main competition was between Sąjūdis and CPL (independent). While both camps agreed on the eventual goal of independent Lithuania, Sąjūdis advocated acting quickly without fearing Moscow's reaction and CPL campaigned for a step-by-step approach to avoid conflict with Moscow.Senn (1995), p. 89 Even though Sąjūdis was not a political party and was not reflected in any official statistics, its endorsements had an immense influence on candidate's electability because the votes would be cast not for party lists, but for specific personalities.Laurinavičius (2008), p. 515 Such endorsements would be handed out based on personal merits and without regard to political affiliation. Therefore, a number of CPL members was backed by Sąjūdis. Other parties were formed just recently and did not enjoy widespread popularity. Of all parties participating, only CPL (CPSU) did not support Lithuanian independence.Vardys (1997), p. 154 A total of 522 candidates registered for the election, but 50 dropped out before the election day. Of the remaining 472 candidates, 201 were proposed by the CPL (independent), 139 were nonpartisans, and 79 were listed by CPL (CPSU).Senn (1995), p. 90 Opinion polls Polling Firm Last date of pollingSąjūdisLKPLSDPLKDPLDPLŽPLKP (TSKP) VNTC https://web.archive.org/web/20210822062105/https://lstc.lt/download/Lietuvos_socialine_raida_2013_www.pdf 2021-08-22 29 December 1989 – 3 January 199027.739.93.16.44.33.68.2 VNTC https://web.archive.org/web/20211229053107/https://lstc.lt/download/visuomenes_nuomones_tyrimai_visas.pdf 2021-12-29 25 November – 1 December 198946.917.33.29.75.46.5- VNTC https://web.archive.org/web/20211229053107/https://lstc.lt/download/visuomenes_nuomones_tyrimai_visas.pdf 2021-12-29 29 September – 5 October 198949.719.63.18.25.17.2- Results A total of 90 delegates were elected in the first round. In 51 constituencies, the run-off elections were held in early March. Originally scheduled for 10 March, the run-off was pushed forward whenever possible so that the Supreme Soviet could meet as soon as possible (all run-offs were held on 4, 7–10 March).Laurinavičius (2008), pp. 507, 509 Due to low voter turnout (primarily in areas where Polish and Russian minorities concentrated), elections in six constituencies were invalid.Laurinavičius (2008), p. 507 Of the 135 members elected, 91 had been endorsed by Sąjūdis, including 58 of the 64 independents, 17 of the independent Communists, all elected members of the Social Democrats, Greens and Christian Democrats, and one of the three Democratic Party members.http://www2.essex.ac.uk/elect/database/indexElections.asp?country=LITHUANIA&election=lt90 1990 Parliamentary Elections - Soviet 2002-12-12 Marina Popescu Martin Hannavy Project on Political Transformation and the Electoral Process in Post-Communist Europe University of Essex 2010-01-31 9 July 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090709023855/http://www2.essex.ac.uk/elect/electer/lt_er_nl.htmDifferent sources often provide different breakdown between Sąjūdis, nonpartisan, and CPL (independent) delegates as the division was not clear-cut: Sąjūdis did not have formal membership while CPL kept losing its members.Laurinavičius (2008), p. 514 CPL (independent), despite internal reforms and push for independence, fared rather poorly. Observers note that the communists ran a passive campaign and lacked personalities that could compete with prominent intellectuals of Sąjūdis. Also, the campaign was framed as a referendum for Lithuania's independence – all those in support were morally obligated to vote for Sąjūdis.Laurinavičius (2008), p. 516 File:Lithuania_Supreme_Soviet_1990.svg Communist Party of Lithuania (independent) 22 24 46 Lithuanian Social-Democratic Party 9 0 9 Communist Party of Lithuania (CPSU) 7 0 7 Lithuanian Green Party 2 2 4 Lithuanian Green Party Lithuanian Democratic Party 0 3 3 Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party 2 0 2 Young Communist League 0 0 0 Independents 48 16 64 Vacant 6 1814218 37125 2581359 University of Essex, CSCE, Tiesa Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausiosios Tarybos deputatų rinkimų 1990 m. vasario 24 d. rezultatai lt Tiesa Vilnius Spauda 1990-03-01 Aftermath Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania Immediately after the first round, elected delegates gathered for semi-formal discussions and consultations. Some of the critical decisions were made during these "tea talks" between the first and second rounds of the election.Laurinavičius (2008), pp. 519–520 The Supreme Soviet was to convene as soon as possible (two weeks after the election) and declare independence without delay. The Lithuanians were afraid that during the scheduled assembly of the Congress of People's Deputies on 12 March 1990, Gorbachev would be appointed as the President of the Soviet Union and would gain greater powers within the union.Senn (1995), p. 91 Specifically, Lithuanians feared that Gorbachev would pass a law on secession that would make it virtually impossible to break away from the Soviet Union.Vardys (1997), p. 156 At the time of its first gathering on 10 March, the final results of the run-off election were not yet available. During the first session, the delegates elected a commission to verify the election results. As verification was a time-consuming process, the Supreme Soviet adjourned until 09:00 the next morning. On 11 March the Supreme Soviet elected Vytautas Landsbergis, leader of Sąjūdis, as its chairman (91 votes) against Algirdas Brazauskas, leader of CPL, (38 votes). On the same day the Soviet changed its name to the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania, re-adopted interwar coat of arms, and passed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania (124 votes in favor, 6 abstentions, none opposed). It also abolished Soviet constitutions and re-adopted the Lithuanian Constitution of 1938, the last constitution before the Soviet occupation. It was a symbolic move to emphasize the legal continuity of the interwar state as the Constitution of 1938 was suspended minutes later and replaced by the Provisional Fundamental Law, based on the Constitution of Lithuanian SSR proposals of 1989.Senn (1995), p. 95https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/164252/lietuvos-respublikos-konstitucijos-koncepcijos-metmenys Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucijos koncepcijos metmenys 26 February 2017 Thus Lithuania officially declared its independence from the Soviet Union. Notes References http://www.lrs.lt/datos/kovo11/st_01.htm Pirmasis posėdis 1990-03-10 Seimas 2010-01-31 lt 2020-08-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20200830162006/ttp://www.lrs.lt/datos/kovo11/st_01.htm dead http://www.lrs.lt/datos/kovo11/st_03.htm Trečiasis posėdis 1990-03-11 Seimas 2010-01-31 lt 2020-08-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20200830161445/https://www.lrs.lt/datos/kovo11/st_03.htm dead Cited sources Lietuvos istorija Sąjūdis: nuo "persitvarkymo" iki kovo 11-osios. Part I Česlovas Laurinavičius Česlovas Laurinavičius Vladas Sirutavičius 2008 XII Baltos lankos, Lithuanian Institute of History 978-9955-23-164-6 lt Alfred Erich Senn Alfred Erich Senn Gorbachev's Failure in Lithuania 1995 St. Martin's Press 0-312-12457-0 Lietuvos Respublikos Aukščiausioji Taryba – Atkuriamasis Seimas Liudas Truska Lietuvos Seimo istorija XX–XXI a. pradžia Baltos lankos 2009 978-9955-23-322-0 lt Vytas Stanley Vardys Judith B. Sedaitis Lithuania: The Rebel Nation Westview Press 1997 Westview Series on the Post-Soviet Republics 0-8133-1839-4 registration https://archive.org/details/lithuaniarebelna00vard External links lt Transcripts of the first assemblies of the Supreme Soviet: 1st session on March 10 https://web.archive.org/web/20200830162006/ttp://www.lrs.lt/datos/kovo11/st_01.htm 2020-08-30 , 2nd session on March 11 https://web.archive.org/web/20200830161732/https://www.lrs.lt/datos/kovo11/st_02.htm 2020-08-30 , 3rd session on March 11 https://web.archive.org/web/20200830161445/https://www.lrs.lt/datos/kovo11/st_03.htm 2020-08-30 Suprepe Soviet Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania Category:Parliamentary elections in Lithuania Category:Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic Lithuania