The Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia
has adopted a Law:

Law On the Statehood of the Republic of Latvia

Cognisant of its responsibility on behalf of the people and having regard to the 4 May 1990 Declaration On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, the results of the 3 March 1991 National Plebiscite of the People of Latvia, and the fact that, as a result of the governmental overthrow of the U.S.S.R. on 19 August 1991, the institutions of constitutional state power and administration of the U.S.S.R. have ceased to exist, and it is not possible to implement Paragraph 9 of the Declaration On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia by means of negotiation, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia resolves as follows:

1) It is hereby declared that Latvia is an independent, democratic republic wherein the sovereign power of the State of Latvia belongs to the people of Latvia and the statehood thereof is determined by the 15 February 1922 Constitution of the Republic of Latvia.

2) Paragraph 5 of the 4 May 1990 Declaration On the Restoration of the Independence of the Republic of Latvia, which determined a transition period for the de facto restoration of the State authority of the Republic of Latvia, is hereby repealed.

3) Until such time as occupation and annexation are abrogated and the Saeima¹ has been convened, supreme state power in the Republic of Latvia shall be exercised in full by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia. Only the laws and the resolutions of the Supreme State power and State administrative institutions shall be in force in the territory of the Republic of Latvia.

4) This constitutional law shall come into force upon adoption thereof.

Chairman, Supreme Council
of the Republic of Latvia A. Gorbunovs

Secretary, Supreme Council
of the Republic of Latvia I. Daudišs

Rīga, 21 August 1991

¹ The Parliament of the Republic of Latvia

Translation © 2001 Tulkošanas un terminoloģijas centrs (Translation and Terminology Centre)