President unveils memorial plaque to Estonia's Constituent Assembly
A plaque to the 1919 Constituent Assembly, the first representative body elected by the people in independent Estonia, was unveiled by President Alar Karis at the Estonia Theater on Saturday (April 23).
In his speech, the president recalled the words of August Rei, chairman of the Constituent Assembly, who said Estonia must become a republic ruled by law and democracy.
Karis said the Constituent Assembly stuck to the ideal of freedom and that Estonia relies on the rule of law and democracy today.
Estonia will always need "constant care and attention" and elected members of the parliament must be responsible and "stand up for their country and their people", as the members of the Constituent Assembly did in the past.
Estonia has principles that mean no one should be insulted or denigrated from the Parliament's rostrum and laws should always be based on a solid foundation - the Constitution - rather than on a whim or momentary mood, Karis stressed.
The Constituent Assembly acted as the national representative body and the legislative power of Estonia from April 23, 1919 until December 20, 1920.
It was the task of the Constituent Assembly to lay the foundations for the Estonian statehood, to adopt the Constitution and the Land Act.
The Constituent Assembly gathered in Tallinn for the first time on April 23, 1919.
You can read more about the assembly here on the Riigikogu's website.
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Editor: Helen Wright
