The BNR was declared on March 9 , 1918, by the First Constituent Charter in Minsk by the members of the Executive Committee of the First All-Belarusian Congress; two weeks later, on March 25, 1918, the BNR proclaimed its independence in the Third Constituent Charter. In 1919, it co-existed with an alternative Communist government of Belarus (the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia, which later became part of the Lithuanian–Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic), moving its seat of government to Vilnius and Grodno, but ceased to exist due to the capture of the whole Belarusian territory by Polish and Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia forces during the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921. Currently, its government in exile, the Rada (Council) of the Belarusian People's Republic is the oldest still functioning government in exile.