The exposition is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania: it explains the circumstances under which this institution was created, how it changed and evolved in the First (1918–1940) and the Second (since 1990) Republics of Lithuania. The greater part of the exposition tells the story of the Lithuanian Presidents.
Three presidents took the presidential oath of office in the First Republic of Lithuania: Antanas Smetona spend the whole 15 years in this office; Aleksandras Stulginskis – 6 years (including 2 years, when as the Chairman of the Constituent Seimas he was an Acting President); and Kazys Grinius had barely 6 months, a short term ended by Coup d’État. The President was elected by Seimas. The State President’s institution underwent many serious changes over two decades of the First Republic of Lithuania – changing from nominal and representative to autocracy.
Three presidents took the presidential oath of office in the restored Republic of Lithuania up to July of 2009: Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, Valdas Adamkus, Rolandas Paksas. The latter was accused of breach of oath and removed from the office after impeachment. After impeachment, the Chairman of the Seimas Artūras Paulauskas became the acting President of the State until the new elections, when Valdas Adamkus was elected and served the second term. On July 12, 2009 a newly elected President Dalia Grybauskaitė took the oath of office. The elective procedure is fundamentally different from the procedure in the First Republic of Lithuania: the President is elected by the general public, not by Seimas as earlier.
2009 04 06 – 2014 12 01 THE FIRST OF THE CITIZENS: THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
