Republic of Central Lithuania general election, 1922

The Election in the Republic of Central Lithuania took place in the Polish-dominated Republic of Central Lithuania and was unrecognized by the Lithuanian government in Kaunas and the Council of League of Nationscite book |last=Various authors | title=The Vilna problem |publisher=Lithuanian Information Bureau|location=London|year=1922|page=24-25] . After a variety of delays and changes, it finally took place on January 8 1922.

Background

In the aftermath of the Polish-Lithuanian War, particularly the actions of general Lucjan Żeligowski, a new state depending on Poland's economic and military support was created and named the Republic of Central Lithuania by the Polish military authorities governing the territory. [George J. Lerski. Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966-1945. 1996, [http://books.google.com/books?id=FPxhOu_n1VYC&pg=PA309&dq=Lerski+Lithuania+puppet+state&ei=AGtYR8T6JJK4igGDjqDJBg&sig=TlR2E4T3dzWCpXvWfFbi6nfhhq0 Google Print, p.309] ] Extensive diplomatic negotiations disputing its legitimacy continued, with the help of the League of Nations, between Poland and Lithuania, but they were unsuccessful in resolving the matter.

In demographic terms Vilnius was the least Lithuanian of Lithuanian cities,Michael MacQueen, "The Context of Mass Destruction: Agents and Prerequisites of the Holocaust in Lithuania", Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Volume 12, Number 1, pp. 27-48, 1998, [http://hgs.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/12/1/27] ] divided near evenly between Poles and Jews, with ethnic Lithuanians constituting a mere fraction of the total population (about 2-3% of the population, according to Russian 1897pl icon Piotr Łossowski, "Konflikt polsko-litewski 1918-1920" (The Polish-Lithuanian Conflict, 1918–1920), Warsaw, Książka i Wiedza, 1995, ISBN 8305127699, pp. 11.] ru icon [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_97.php?reg=32 Demoscope] .] and German 1916 censusespl icon cite book|author= Michał Eustachy Brensztejn|year=1919 |title=Spisy ludności m. Wilna za okupacji niemieckiej od. 1 listopada 1915 r. |publisher=Biblioteka Delegacji Rad Polskich Litwy i Białej Rusi, Warsaw |id= ] ) The Lithuanians nonetheless believed that their historical claim to the city (former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) had precedence and refused to recognize any Polish claims to the city and the surrounding area.

The elections

Eventually general elections were decreed to take place on January 9, 1921, and the regulations governing this election were to be issued prior to November 28, 1920. However, due to the League of Nations mediation, and the Lithuanian boycott of the voting, the elections were postponed.Fact|date=February 2007 After the failure of negotiations in Brussels, the elections were scheduled for January 8 1922.

There was a significant electional propaganda campaign over the issue of the elections as both sides tried to win the support of other ethnic groups present in the area. Lithuanian newspapers, even those published in Polish which reemerged with different names were surpressed every one or two weeks, and the chief editors one after another landed in courts.cite book |last=Čepėnas |first=Pranas |authorlink=Pranas Čepėnas | title=Naujųjų laikų Lietuvos istorija |year= |publisher=Dr. Griniaus fondas |location=Chicago] Many Lithuanians decided to boycott the elections stating that according to International law the territory was still a sovereign part of Lithuania proper and only the Bolshevist Socialist Party of Lithuania and Belarus participated in it.

The elections were boycotted by Lithuanians, most of the Jews and some Belarusians; a certain percentage had doubts over whether they should vote. Poles were the only major ethnic group out of which the majority of people voted.Zigmantas Kiaupa. The History of Lithuania. 2002, 2004. ISBN 9955-584-87-4]

63.9% of the entire population took part in the voting, but among different ethnic groups the attendance was lower (41% of Belarusians, 15.3% of Jews and 8.2% of Lithuanians).Zigmantas Kiaupa. The History of Lithuania. 2002, 2004. ISBN 9955-584-87-4] Although these numbers were disputed by the Chief of Military control sent by League of Nations Col. Chardigny, who officially declared that results are not valid, as most of the Lithuanians, Jews and Belarus boycotted the elections, and there was use of military force.cite book |last=Various authors | title=Documents diplomatiques. Conflit Polono-Lituanien. Questions de Vilna 1918-1924 |year=1924] As a result of electoral malpractice such as not asking for a valid voter identification, noted by delegates from the League of Nations, the elections were not recognized. Also, the Lithuanian side argued that the election area covered only the territory of Central Lithuania, that is the areas under Lithuanian administration prior to Żeligowski's action, while it should also cover the areas promised to Lithuania in the Soviet-Lithuanian Treaty of July 12, 1920, known as the Vilnius regionFact|date=February 2007. The results were not recognized by the League of Nations either: January 13th 1922 Concil of League of Nations issued statement, that elected parliament is not held a legal representative of the local population.cite book |last=Various authors | title=The Vilna problem |publisher=Lithuanian Information Bureau|location=London|year=1922|page=24-25]

The two biggest political groups in the new parliament were the "Polish Voting Committee" (43 seats) and the "Popular Councils" (34 seats). All the other groups gained 29 seats altogetherFact|date=February 2007. The parliament gathered on February 1, 1922 and on February 20 after a fierce discussion, incorporation into Poland had been passed.Fact|date=February 2007 The Polish Sejm passed the law proposed by the Central Lithuanian parliament on March 22, 1922 and two days later the Republic of Central Lithuania ceased to exist. All of its territory was incorporated into the newly-formed Wilno Voivodeship.Fact|date=February 2007

Aftermath

The border changes were accepted by the by the Conference of Ambassadors of the Ententeen icon cite book | author =Eric Phipps, Romano Avezzana, Raymond Poincaré, Maurycy Zamoyski, M. Matsuda | coauthors = | title =Decision taken by the conference of ambassadors regarding the eastern frontiers of Poland | year =1923 | editor = | pages = | chapter = | chapterurl = | publisher =League of Nations | location = | isbn= | url =http://www.forost.ungarisches-institut.de/pdf/19230315-1.pdf | format =pdf | accessdate =2008-03-11 ] as published in: cite book | author =various authors | coauthors = | title =League of Nations, Treaty Series | year =1923 | editor = | pages =261-265 | publisher =League of Nations | location = | volume = 15 ] and the League of Nationsen icon cite paper |author=Grazina Miniotaite |title=The Security Policy of Lithuania and the 'Integration Dilemma'|publisher=NATO Academic Forum|date=1999|url=http://www.nato.int/acad/fellow/97-99/miniotaite.pdf |pages=21|format=pdf |accessdate=2008-03-14 ] in 1923, in what Gintautas Vileklis claimed was a contradiction to the international law. [Gintautas Vileklis. Lietuvos ir Lenkijos santykiai Tautų Sąjungoje. 2006, p.111] Lithuania declined to accept the Polish authority over the area of Wilnocite book |last=Various authors | title=The Vilna problem |publisher=Lithuanian Information Bureau|location=London|year=1922|page=24-25] . However Polish occupation of Vilnius was qualified as such in 1931, when the international court in the Hague concluded that in seizing Vilnius Poland violated international law. Lithuania continued to treat the Vilnius Region as part of its own territory and the city itself as its constitutional capital, with Kaunas being only a temporary seat of government.Fact|date=February 2007 Technically the states remained at war until 1927, and even later diplomatic relations were not restored until 1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania.

The elections were unrecognized by the Republic of Lithuaniacite book |last=Brecher|first=Michael |coauthors=Jonathan Wilkenfeld |title=A Study of Crisis |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0472108069&id=GjY7aV_6FPwC&pg=PA253&lpg=PA253&ots=uX_r2gMHjU&dq=Vilna+plebiscite&sig=Dk20v9DAe8KGzZOwKuJxQFJ4l7E |year=1997 |publisher= University of Michigan Press|isbn=0472108069 ] ; a president of military control committee of the League of Nations, supporter of Poland, on his report had been writing: "the Polish element had wielded all the pressure means of the government apparatus". Regina Žepkaitė: "Lietuvos valstybės teritorijos, sienų, sostinės problemos (1919-1940 m.) [The Problems of the Territory, Borders, Capital of the Lithuanian State (1919-1940)] " in: "Lietuvos rytai; straipsnių rinkinys [The East of Lithuania; a Collection of Articles] ", p. 170. Vilnius 1993. ISBN 9986-09-002-4 ]

Although the Lithuanians had to accept Polish control over Vilnius, the conflict over the Vilnius region would sour the Polish-Lithuanian relations for decades to come.

Notes