At the joint of 1925-1926 the Soviet Union and the Comintern changed their tactics of subversive activities abroad. Under the conditions of releasing social strain in Europe the international epicentre of communism became more inclined to realise its antidemocratic Bolshevik aspirations through legal or semi-legal forms of activity. The Lithuanian Communist Party (LCP) - a section of the Comintern which was illegal in Lithuania - reorganised its activity respectively. Communists worked their way into legal state and public institutions: trade unions, army, "Šauliai" union, labour parties, various public societies as well as students' and pupils' organisations. They sought rapprochement with the legal constitutional party of the leftists - the Social Democrats. The Bolshevists encouraged their members and supporters to learn how to handle weapons in order to be able "to turn them at the right moment against the power of "kulaks", landowners and factory owners".
The tactical changes of communist activity virtually coincided with the election to the Third Seimas in Lithuania. Though the underground communist organisation did not recognise parliamentarism, "bourgeois constitution" and "bourgeois democracy" as standards of social-political life, following the directives of the Comintern it illegally participated in the elections to the Seimas shielding itself behind the names of neutral organisations. By participating in the elections to the Seimas the LCP pursued two aims: 1) to oust from the government the coalition of the Christian-Democrats and in this way to create better conditions for anti-state activities; 2) to win a few places in the Seimas in order to use the parliament tribune for the revolutionization of society and preparation for the "proletarian revolution". Besides, it was suggestive that following the directives from Moscow and fawning upon German communists, the LCP, in its elective programme, argued Lithuanian's supremacy in the Klaipėda region which had been not long ago annexed to Lithuania.
The communist underground in Lithuania was generously financed by Moscow - the famous Bolshevists received monthly salaries, whereas their families were granted allowances. The expenses of election campaign were covered by the Comintern. In the first half of 1926 the LCP received from Moscow more than 3,000 USD, a few thousand Litas and a few thousand Soviet roubles. Some of the money for the election campaign was collected in Lithuania from local people. Money was also raised abroad - among the Lithuanian emigration in the USA and Argentina. Therefore, the total sum of money which the LCP was able to allot for the election campaign amounted to twenty-thirty thousand Litas. For comparison we can mention that the Lithuanian Nationalistic Union-a legal constitutional party - could afford only about 15,000 Litas for its election campaign.
The money received by the communists was used rather effectively. For example, in the second election area alone (there were 6 election areas in Lithuania) communists disseminated more than 87,000 units of various communist propaganda literature, visited about 40 cities, boroughs and villages, organised about 30 meetings and used almost 100 agitators for the communist candidates.
Communists included their candidates in the lists of all six electoral areas. Ten lists of communists comprised 80 persons. From the social point of view these lists comprised mostly workers, craftsmen, landless peasants, and peasants who owned small plots of land. There were few intellectuals on these lists. From the national point of view 80% of the persons included in the lists were Lithuanians, and 20% - people of other nationalities (Jews, Germans, Russians). In choosing its candidates and compiling election lists the LCP did not avoid falsifications. Communists often falsified the names of the candidates (giving Lithuanian forms), misindicated their occupation, profession, place of residence, etc. There were cases when one and the same candidate was included in three lists.
Notwithstanding great efforts, means, and agitation, the LCP failed to win even a single place in the Third Seimas. However, this was not a defeat. Without any doubt the LCP contributed to the loss of majority in the Seimas of the Christian-Democrat coalition. Besides, soon after the elections the LCP stroke another blow upon the Christian-Democrats: it escalated the rumours that the Lithuanian Party of the Christian-Democrats was no going to give its place to the opposition, characterised its activity as "Clerical Fascism" and even planned an armed sally against this constitutional party. The activity of the communists in the spring of 1926 destabilised the political life in Lithuania and became a threat to the democratic state and society
