On May 12, 2024, Lithuanians in their country and in the diaspora will elect their president and they will also vote in the referendum on dual Lithuanian citizenship. Why another referendum? In the last elections, a referendum on this question was included, but the decision to change the relevant section of the Constitution of Lithuania was not made because of insufficient voter participation.
Why is such a change necessary? Over the past three and a half decades of independence, thousands of citizens have emigrated from Lithuania to other countries. In order to exercise their rights, settle, work and raise children there, many of them obtained citizenship in those countries. Unlike many other nations where dual citizenship is allowed, Lithuania revokes the citizenship of Lithuanians who acquire the citizenship of another country.
Many Lithuanians in the diaspora feel that this is not only an affront to their primary identity, erasing any legal bond with the country where they were born, but also an obstacle to returning to live and work in Lithuania. The loss of such a substantial segment of the population is also seen as detrimental to the country itself.
Changing the article of the Lithuanian Constitution which governs citizenship requires the agreement of more than half of all citizens who have the right to vote and are registered on the voters’ list.
In order to preserve their inborn rights, emigrants must register and vote on the upcoming referendum question. Voters will agree or disagree with the change in the Constitution by responding yes or no to the statement on the referendum ballot, which is the proposed wording of Article 12 of the Constitution. In English the statement means that Lithuanian citizenship is acquired by birth and under other conditions stipulated in the Constitution, which also governs the loss of citizenship. Currently, Article 12 states that unless exempted under specified circumstances, no one can be a citizen of Lithuania and of another country at the same time. This stipulation would be erased from the Constitution if enough citizens vote for the new wording. If more than 50% of registered voters agree, citizens will no longer be forbidden to have dual citizenship – i.e. Lithuanian and that of another country.
All Lithuanian citizens in the diaspora who wish to vote by mail or at Lithuanian embassies and consular offices are urged to do so by registering at www.rinkejopuslapis.lt. All voters must register, even if they were previously registered for voting in earlier elections.
