The Resolution was drafted by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in cooperation with the Sejm and the Senate of the Republic of Poland. ‘An identical resolution was adopted by the Polish Sejm and the Senate a few weeks ago, in continuation of the remarkable tradition initiated last year, when the 450th anniversary of the Union of Lublin was marked by adopting resolutions in both the Lithuanian and Polish Parliaments to commemorate the important and significant dates for both nations,’ said Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, while presenting this initiative.
No less than 230 years ago, as we are reminded by the Seimas Resolution, the Senators’ Hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, as the residence of the rulers of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations, saw the adoption of the Constitution of 3 May 1791, which proved to be first written constitution in Europe and a ground-breaking result of the reform introduced by the Four-Year Sejm.
The Seimas Resolution stresses that the adoption of the Constitution of 3 May served as a proof of the political maturity of the Polish and Lithuanian elite and introduced an innovative social system rooted in an innovative school of thought in law. These values were reiterated in the Mutual Pledge of the Two Nations, passed by the Four-Year Sejm on 20 October 1791, as the law implementing the Constitution. The Mutual Pledge consolidated the power of the multinational community formed on the basis of the republican mindset.
‘As the law implementing the Constitution and as a document passed with the intention of creating a strong state, the Mutual Pledge was based on the concept of democratisation of public relations and the principle of separation of powers. It was a sort of a public treaty based on the belief that, as stated in Article 5 of the Constitution, “the power of public authorities derives from the will of the nation.” Respect for human rights and the establishment of a civil ethos were to guarantee the country’s might. The Mutual Pledge established constitutional monarchy, thus outpacing many European states by an entire century. The Constitution represented a clear expression of political sovereignty, independence from the neighbouring powers, and a call for the renewal of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations,’ the Seimas Resolution reads.
The Seimas Resolution (draft No XIVP-434) was adopted unanimously by 103 Members of the Seimas.
