Preparations for the elections to the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuania Soviet Socialist Republic began at the end of 1989. They were the first elections to the legislature in which opposition parties participated. The reform movement Sajudis competed in the elections against Communist Party of Lithuania, which had gained authority in the eyes of the public by separating from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. However, many of the Communist Party candidates were Soviet officials (known as the ‘nomenclature’) who were imbedded in the existing system. Sajudis knew that if these politicians made up the majority in the newly elected Supreme Soviet it would be difficult to pass a declaration of independence. This could have resulted in cosmetic concessions from Moscow and a wider autonomy within the USSR instead of complete Lithuanian independence.

The election campaign was very active and passionate. These were the first truly democratic polls in Lithuania when several candidates representing different political parties and views competed in all voting districts. Much propaganda material was published, including posters. This expressive poster designed by Jonas Varnas was commissioned by Sajudis. It shows portraits of historical Soviet figures Molotov, Khrushchev and Brezhnev pasted within the silhouette of Stalin. They are crossed with a bright red X bearing the text ‘We have already voted for them’.

Lithuanian people understood very well what the artist wanted to say. They recognised the men portrayed and knew who represented their political legacy in contemporary Lithuania. Everybody remembered Soviet ‘elections’ of the past when it was invariably announced that 99.9% of the population had voted for the only ‘candidate of communists and the non-party block’. The poster was very successful. It was printed in a large edition, distributed in cities and towns, posted in the streets and in voting offices, shown on television and reproduced in periodicals. The poster made people laugh and reminded them that it was worth thinking about a candidate’s past before voting for him or her. The poster design was created as a collage.

The biography of the poster artist Jonas Varnas (b. 1936) was also dramatic. He was deported to Siberia with his family in 1948. When he returned to Lithuania in 1957, he was mobilised into the Soviet Army, and afterwards studied at the State Art Institute in Vilnius. He created posters and logos and particularly enjoyed drawing cartoons. As a communicative artist with a great sense of humour, he has become a leader in the field of cartoons and has participated in hundreds of exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad. When Sajudis was founded in 1988, he actively participated in the movement and was a member of its Publishing Group. He currently works for Lithuanian periodicals and publishes political cartoons.