The opening ceremony of the 100th anniversary year of the Saeima was held in the Red Room of the Saeima on 18 January. This event is the first in a series of anniversaries to honour several important events in the history of the parliamentary system of Latvia.

“Parliamentarism is one of the vital foundations of our state, alongside the sovereignty of our nation. That was the will of the founders and restorers of Latvia, and it was fully supported by the people. While we celebrate the centenary of the convening of the 1^st Saeima, I must particularly emphasise that the mission of the Saeima is to represent the people and enact parliamentary democracy,” said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima.

Speaker Mūrniece addressed the people who viewed and attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony also featured an expert discussion, titled “The Parliament of Latvia through the years”. Discussion participants included Gunārs Kusiņš, Justice of the Constitutional Court of Latvia, Toms Ķikuts, Deputy Director of the National History Museum of Latvia, and Gatis Krūmiņš, Rector at the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences. Discussion participants reviewed the convening of the 1st Saeima one hundred years ago, discussed the evolution of the Parliament, and assessed the role of the Parliament in modern-day Latvia.

Attendants of the opening ceremony also had an opportunity to watch historical newsreels about the first convocations of the Saeima. Actor Andris Keišs told the story about the convening of the 1st Saeima, as well as the historical greetings received by the 1st Saeima in honour of the event.

The Saeima convened for its first ever sitting on 7 November 1922 at 12:00 in the main building of the Saeima. Along with the convening of the 1^st Saeima, the supreme law of the State of Latvia – the Constitution (Satversme) – came into force, defining the form of government and the principles of exercising public authority. This year, Latvia will celebrate not only the centenary of the Saeima and the Constitution, but also the 150th birthday of Mr Pauls Kalniņš, long-time Speaker of the Saeima.

The opening event of the centenary of the Saeima was available live for public viewing at the Saeima website, www.saeima.lv, and the Parliament’s Facebook account.

Speaker of the Saeima: the foundation of our statehood, laid a century ago, continues to strengthen Latvia

Ceremony video recording

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