Address to the Saeima on the centenary of the Constitution by Vice President of the Constitutional Court Aldis Laviņš
Vice President of the Constitutional Court of Latvia
Aldis Laviņš
Address to the Saeima on the centenary of the Constitution
Riga, 15 February 2022
Esteemed Madam Speaker of the Saeima, Highly Honourable Mr President of the State, Highly Honourable Mr Prime Minister! Ladies and Gentlemen!
The essence of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, adopted 100 years ago, is revealed by an observation of Kronvaldu Atis that people make laws in order to have a place to shelter in times of need.[1] Indeed, the Constitution provides a legal refuge for anyone who longs for freedom and justice. The Constitution upholds human dignity and the right to self-determination, ensures that everyone has the opportunity to be heard and protected, and allows everyone to develop his or her personality. The Constitution thus serves the individual first and foremost.
At the same time, the Constitution also provides a sanctuary for Latvia’s statehood. When the Iron Curtain of the illegal occupation separated Latvia from Europe, the Constitution remained in force and gave us an unbreakable hope that the red-white-red flag would fly over a free and democratic Latvia. Both the envoys of our country who, while in exile, tirelessly reminded of Latvia’s unlawful inclusion in the USSR, and the members of the national resistance movement who fought against foreign rule, and everyone in whose heart the words “For Fatherland and Freedom” engraved on our Freedom Monument were alive, these people – individually and together – upheld the will of the Latvian people as enshrined in the Constitution.
Our Constitution is one of the oldest surviving constitutions in Europe. However, it is not the remarkable number of years that testifies to the value and uniqueness of the Constitution, but the wisdom of our people that is woven into it. How else can one appreciate that the concisely expressed, interconnected norms of a century ago, which form a whole, can still be relevant in today’s society? How else can we appreciate the fact that the Constitution inspires us to think not only about today, but also about the future, calling us to act in a way that promotes the sustainability of both the Latvian state and the world?
Indeed, the idea of sustainability is at the heart of the Constitution. The introduction to the Constitution emphasises that the Latvian State was established to guarantee the existence and development of the Latvian nation, its language and culture throughout the centuries, to ensure the freedom of the Latvian people and everyone, and to promote their well-being. The Constitution requires us to look after ourselves, our families and the common good of society. To be responsible to our fellow human beings, future generations, the environment and nature. It gives us a clear geopolitical vector to promote a united Europe, the development of democracy and the sustainability of the world. Therefore, the Constitution encourages us to look beyond the threshold of our hearth and home, beyond the horizon – the sustainability of the state is only feasible in a sustainable world.
The Constitution is like a beacon, showing the way forward for Latvia. It reflects our values and is the basis for the harmonious development of society. The Constitution is therefore more than a law with supreme legal force. The Constitution is the soul of Latvia’s statehood. Our task is to be aware of it, to feel it, to appreciate it and to protect it. No one else will do it for us. It is we who today implement the Constitution in our thoughts, words and deeds, day after day, year after year. It is future generations who, following our example, will enhance the strength of the Constitution and keep it alive for the future.
Long live Latvia and our Constitution!
[1] Pleps J. On the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia: history and present. Book: “Constitution of the Republic of Latvia” Riga: Latvijas Vēstnesis, 2012, pp. 47.