Elections
| Results of 1926 parliamentary election | |
|---|---|
| Party | Seats |
| Christian Democrats (krikdemai) | 30 |
| Peasant Popular Union (liaudininkai) | 22 |
| Social Democrats (socdemai) | 15 |
| National Union (tautininkai) | 3 |
| Farmers' Union | 2 |
| Minorities (Germans, Jews, and Poles) | 13 |
| Total | 85 |
For the first time since 1920 Lithuanian Christian Democrats, which strongly supported the Catholic Church and clergy, did not obtain a political majority. Lithuanian people were disillusioned with the party as it was shaken by several financial scandals, did not cope with an economic crisis effectively, and ran into diplomatic disputes with Vatican, which recognized Polish claims to the Vilnius Region.
The Peasant Popular Union and Social Democrats formed a left-wing coalition against the Christian Democrats. Still not enough for a majority, the coalition had to include the minorities (Germans from the Klaipėda Region, Poles, and Jews). On June 7, Kazys Grinius was elected the 3rd President of Lithuania and Mykolas Sleževičius became the Prime Minister. Both of them were members of the Peasant Popular Union.
Read more about this topic: Third Seimas Of Lithuania
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