Lithuanian parliamentary election, 1926

Last updated April 20, 2019

Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania between 8 and 10 May 1926.^[1] The Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union remained the largest party, winning 24 of the 85 seats in the third Seimas.^[2] They formed a left-wing coalition government with the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, which was overthrown in a military coup in December.^[3] The Seimas was subsequently disbanded and Lithuanian Nationalist Union leader Antanas Smetona was appointed President.^[3]

Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. Lithuania is considered to be one of the Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 2.8 million people as of 2019, and its capital and largest city is Vilnius. Other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipėda. Lithuanians are Baltic people. The official language, Lithuanian, along with Latvian, is one of only two living languages in the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family.

The Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union was a centre-left political party in Lithuania between 1922 and 1936. The party's leaders included the third President Kazys Grinius and three-term Prime Minister Mykolas Sleževičius.

The Third Seimas of Lithuania was the third parliament (Seimas) democratically elected in Lithuania after it declared independence on February 16, 1918. The elections took place on May 8–10, 1926. For the first time the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party were forced to remain in opposition. The coalition government made some unpopular decisions and was sharply criticized. Regular Seimas work was interrupted by a military coup d'état in December 1926 when the democratically elected government was replaced with the authoritarian government of Antanas Smetona and Augustinas Voldemaras. The Third Seimas was dissolved on March 12, 1927 and new elections were not called until 1936.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union	225,797	22.2	22	+6
Social Democratic Party of Lithuania	173,250	17.0	15	+7
Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party	128,126	12.6	14	0
Farmers' Association	113,819	11.2	11	–3
Labour Federation	79,315	7.8	5	–7
Democratic Jewish Union	47,142	4.6	3	New
Lithuanian Nationalist Union	43,841	4.3	3	New
Central Polish Electoral Committee	31,349	3.1	4	0
Party of Polish Workers, Artisans and Farmers	24,473	2.4	0	New
Memel Territory Party	20,944	2.1	6	New
Farmers' Party	18,741	1.8	2	+2
People's Party of Klaipėda	18,496	1.8	0	New
Jewish Economic Party	16,702	1.6	0	New
German Evangelical Party	9,658	1.0	0	New
Party of Russians and Belarusians	8,022	0.8	0	0
Union of Latvians in Lithuania	2,358	0.2	0	New
Party of Catholics and Abstainers	2,343	0.2	0	New
Company of House and Land Owners	2,235	0.2	0	New
Union of Russian Democrats	1,617	0.2	0	New
Union of Evangelical Lutherans	1,340	0.1	0	New
Party of Public Servants of Klaipėda	1,158	0.1	0	New
Party for an Autonomous Klaipėda	937	0.1	0	New
Party of Samogitian Women	828	0.1	0	New
Poles of Jonava	431	0.0	0	New
German Evangelicals of Marijampole	404	0.0	0	New
Party of Polish Farmers and Workers	256	0.0	0	New
Party of Polish Workers	253	0.0	0	0
Lithuanian National Organisation in Kedainiai	230	0.0	0	New
Party of Evangelical Lithuanians	203	0.0	0	New
Catholic Nationalists	169	0.0	0	New
Polish Party "For Creed and Homeland"	149	0.0	0	New
Polish Catholic Party	116	0.0	0	0
Tenants' Party	94	0.0	0	New
Party of Public Servants	71	0.0	0	New
Workers groups (7)	23,074	2.3	0	–
Poor peasants and small farmers groups	19,352	1.9	0	–
Invalid/blank votes	2,178	–	–	–
Total	1,019,471	100	85	+7
Registered voters/turnout	1,179,538	86.4	–	–
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

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References

↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1201 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p1218
1 2 Nohlen & Stöver, p1188

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[NS-1] Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1201 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7

[2] Nohlen & Stöver, p1218

[NS2-3] 1 2 Nohlen & Stöver, p1188

v t e Elections and referendums in Lithuania
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See also: Elections in the Klaipėda Region • Elections in Central Lithuania