On May 1, 100 years have passed since the Constitutional Assembly (the first legislator in Latvia elected by the people) convened for the first meeting. Among the 150 members of the Constitutional Assembly there were four then or later senators of the Senate of Latvia.

On this day, the Supreme Court, which is the successor of the work and traditions of the Senate of Latvia, especially commemorates these four members of the Constitutional Assembly.

Karlis PURINS – Senator of the Administrative Department of the Senate from August 6, 1925 until the liquidation of the Senate on November 26, 1940. Died in exile in Germany in 1947.

Andrejs SIMANIS - Senator of the Administrative Department of the Senate from June 7, 1920 until his death on November 13, 1926.

Fridrihs VESMANIS – Senator of the Civil Cassation Department of the Senate from September 29, 1921 to 1922, when he was elected to the first Saeima (parliament) and became its chairman. After years in politics and diplomacy, he returned to the Administrative Department of the Senate on February 25, 1932 and was a senator until September 1, 1937, when he retired. Died in 1941 in the Usolye prison camp.

Voldemars ZAMUELS – one of the first six senators of the Senate of Latvia, who was appointed on December 19, 1918. In 1919 he became the first Chief Prosecutor of the Senate and held this position until June 17, 1921. Died in exile in Germany in 1948.

The minds of lawyers were beneficial to the Constitutional Assembly, as its main task was to draft the Constitution or Satversme of the Republic of Latvia. The Constitutional Assembly also adopted a number of other laws. Its agenda included the drafting of regulation of public administration and the work of the courts, the territorial division of Latvia, the creation of financial and social system and other issues important to the new state.


Watch the video created by the Saeima about the Constitutional Assembly here (in Latvian)

 

Information prepared by

Rasma Zvejniece, the Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: +371 67020396, +371 28652211