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Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 12 and 13 May 1923. [1] The Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union emerged as the largest party in the second Seimas, winning 16 of the 78 seats. [2]
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 Second Seimas of Lithuania was the second parliament (Seimas) democratically elected in 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. The First Seimas, elected in fall 1922, was in virtual deadlock as no party or coalition could gain a majority. President Aleksandras Stulginskis 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 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 Populists demanded lifting the martial law, 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.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union | 161,195 | 17.9 | 16 | New |
Labour Federation | 134,393 | 14.9 | 12 | +1 |
Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party | 130,211 | 14.4 | 14 | –1 |
Farmers' Association | 129,942 | 14.4 | 14 | +2 |
Social Democratic Party of Lithuania | 101,778 | 11.3 | 8 | –3 |
United Minorities | 99,379 | 11.0 | 10 | New |
Central Polish Electoral Committee | 50,064 | 5.6 | 4 | +2 |
Workers Group | 23,126 | 2.6 | 0 | –5 |
Labour Union of Polish Christian Workers in Kaunas | 13,688 | 1.5 | 0 | New |
Party of National Progress | 10,568 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
Economic and Political Union of Lithuanian Farmers | 8,014 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 |
Group of Workers and Poor Peasants | 6,797 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
Land and Freedom | 4,428 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
Democratic National Freedom League | 4,112 | 0.5 | 0 | New |
Dalgis | 3,136 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
Union of Evangelical Lutherans | 2,197 | 0.2 | 0 | New |
Party of the Landless and those who have very little land | 1,364 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
Jewish Workers' Party | 1,048 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
Polish Catholics' Party | 499 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
Polish Workers' Party | 484 | 0.1 | 0 | New |
Union of Lithuanian Evangelical Farmers | 363 | 0.0 | 0 | New |
Individualists | 294 | 0.0 | 0 | New |
Party of Russians and Belarusians | 106 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Achdus | 53 | 0.0 | 0 | –3 |
Poor peasant groups (8) | 8,101 | 0.3 | 0 | – |
Workers groups (4) | 2,716 | 0.3 | 0 | – |
Independent groups (3) | 3,281 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
Invalid/blank votes | – | – | – | |
Total | 901,337 | 100 | 78 | 0 |
Registered voters/turnout | – | – | ||
Source: Nohlen & Stöver |
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