https://istorineprezidentura.lt/en/office-of-the-president/monarchy-or-republic.html#sigProIdfb8c5834ce
Nevertheless, the scheme to create a constitutional monarchy did not work out. Some politicians opposed this idea very soundly: the shine of monarchy faded immensely after World War I; the Republic was gaining favor very quickly. The dispute went on until the Constituent Seimas had its final say. Until that Lithuania was represented by the Lithuanian Council (Lithuanian State Council from July 11, 1918) and its Triumvirate – Chairman of the State Council and two Vice-chairmen. Very soon it was clear that this form of government is ineffective: decision-taking procedures were too slow for such difficult postwar times. In addition, the young State suffered a serious loss. Its capital Vilnius was occupied by Bolsheviks. The Government was forced to move to Kaunas on January of 1919. The struggle for territorial integrity became the major preoccupation of the State. These circumstances strengthened the need for a one-man Presidential institution. The Provisional Constitution was amended; and Antanas Smetona (former Chairman of the State Council) was elected the first President of the Lithuanian State on April 4, 1919. It was the first time that Lithuanian general public encountered the word President, which from Latin means one who ‘sits before’.