Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR
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Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausioji Taryba Верховный Совет Литовской ССР |
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 Lithuanian SSR (1940–1941, 1944–1990) |
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| Type | |
| Type |
Supreme Soviet (officially)
Rubber stamp legislature (de facto, until 1990) |
| History | |
| Established | 1940 1947 (Re-established) |
| Disbanded | 1941 (Nazi occupation) 1990 (Declaration of independence) |
| Preceded by | People's Seimas |
| Succeeded by | Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas |
| Elections | |
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Last election
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1990 |
| Meeting place | |
| Vilnius | |
The Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR (Lithuanian: Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausioji Taryba; Russian: Верховный Совет Литовской ССР, Verkhovnyy Sovet Litovskoy 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 from 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.
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 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 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.
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Wikipedia