Edukeen

Lithuania's Constitution Day — October 25

Lithuania's Constitution Day (Konstitucijos diena) is celebrated on October 25 — the day in 1992 when the country's citizens adopted the currently effective Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania in a nationwide referendum. But to understand why this particular document carries such significance, it's worth looking at the path Lithuanian constitutional law took to get there.

The History of Lithuania's Constitution

The first constitutions: 1922-1938

The first permanent Constitution of independent Lithuania was adopted on August 1, 1922 — shortly after the first democratically elected Constituent Seimas convened on May 5, 1920. Under this constitution, legislative power belonged to the Seimas, executive power to the president and government, and both the Seimas and the president were elected for three-year terms. It didn't last long: a coup took place in 1926, and in 1928 a second Constitution appeared, legally cementing the authoritarian regime that had already taken shape. A third pre-war Constitution was adopted by the Seimas on February 11, 1938, and took effect on May 12 of that same year.

Soviet occupation

On August 25, 1940, the so-called “Stalinist” constitution of the Lithuanian SSR was adopted, and later, until March 11, 1990, the 1977 USSR constitution and the 1978 Lithuanian SSR constitution formally applied on Lithuanian territory. The country had no constitutional law of its own in the usual sense during this period — decisions were made in Moscow.

Restoring independence: 1990

On March 11, 1990, the newly elected Supreme Council adopted the Act on the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania and annulled the Soviet constitutions, temporarily reinstating the 1938 Constitution. To bring its provisions in line with the realities of the transition period, the Provisional Basic Law of the Republic of Lithuania was adopted. It took the main political forces in parliament about two years to agree on the text of a new, permanent constitution — a compromise that was ultimately put to a referendum in October 1992.

The referendum of October 25, 1992

On October 25, 1992, Lithuanian citizens voted for the new Constitution — the same day, notably, as Seimas elections were held, which former communists unexpectedly won for many. The Constitution took effect on November 2, 1992. Today it consists of 154 articles grouped into 14 chapters plus final provisions — a document that has never been rewritten from scratch since then, although individual amendments have been made.

The annual Constitution Day quiz

Since the 2000s, a tradition has grown up around the referendum's anniversary: every year, around October 25, Lithuania's Ministry of Justice, with the support of the President, holds an open quiz on knowledge of the Constitution. Anyone can take part, participation is free, and winners are awarded prizes and invited to a ceremony at the President's residence.

Important: don't confuse this quiz with the mandatory Lithuania Constitution Fundamentals Exam (Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucijos pagrindų egzaminas), required for a permanent residence permit (leidimas nuolat gyventi) or citizenship — these are two different exams with different purposes: one is an educational contest open to everyone, the other is a mandatory state procedure for foreign nationals.

Where to find the full text of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania

The text of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania is in the public domain. The official text is published on the website of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania — this is the primary source, and you should go there for exact wording of the articles rather than summaries like this page. The Lithuanian original is available there as well as on the official legal acts portal.

For support contact us at [email protected]
Funded by the European Union