2024 Lithuanian constitutional referendum
 | This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the election progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (May 2024) |
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A constitutional referendum was held in Lithuania on 12 May 2024, alongside the first round of the presidential elections.[1] Voters were asked whether they approve of a constitutional amendment to allow Lithuanian citizens to hold dual citizenship.
Background[edit]
As holding dual citizenship is banned in most cases,[1] around 1,000 Lithuanian citizens give up their citizenship each year to take another citizenship.[2] Concerns have been raised over the effects of the citizenship requirements on the country's demography, given the population decline which saw the Lithuanian population decrease from 3.5 million in 1990 to 2.8 million in 2024.[3]
A referendum on the same issue was held in 2019. Although 74% voted in favour, the number of affirmative votes was below the 50% of all registered voters required to validate the referendum.
The holding of the 2024 referendum was approved by the Seimas on 23 May 2023 by a vote of 111–0.[1]
The Lithuanian diaspora is estimated at two million people and is largely concentrated in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, and Canada. It is estimated that there are around 600,000 people of Lithuanian descent living in the United States.
Campaign[edit]
The "Yes" vote has been endorsed by presidential candidates Giedrimas Jeglinskas, Aurelijus Veryga and Dainius Žalimas, as well as most political parties.[4]
A study by the Government of Lithuania showed that 60 percent of respondents intend to participate in the referendum.[7]
Opinion polls[edit]
 | This section needs to be updated. (May 2024) |
| Pollster | Fieldwork date | Sample size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For | Against | Other/ Undecided | |||
| Vilmorus | 22 November–2 December 2023 | 1,000 | 51.7 | 33.2 | 15.1 |
| Baltijos tyrimai | 23 October–7 November 2023 | 1,013 | 60 | 26 | 14 |
| 2019 referendum | 1,322,135 | 73.92 | 26.08 | - | |
Results[edit]
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 1,031,134 | 74.19 | |
| Against | 358,740 | 25.81 | |
| Total | 1,389,874 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 1,389,874 | 97.97 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 28,803 | 2.03 | |
| Total votes | 1,418,677 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,401,807 | 59.07 | |
| Source: VRK (preliminary) | |||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Lithuania to hold multiple citizenship referendum in 2024". LRT. 23 May 2023.
- ^ "Lithuania's dual citizenship referendum – meaning and myths". LRT. 17 October 2023.
- ^ "Lithuanians vote in a presidential election as anxieties rise over Russia and the war in Ukraine". Associated Press. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Valiauskaitė, Aistė (20 November 2023). "Parlamentinės partijos ir jų kandidatai į prezidentus remia referendumą dėl pilietybės". LRT (in Lithuanian).
- ^ "Lietuvos žaliųjų partija referendume ragina palaikyti dvigubos pilietybės idėją". Lithuanian Green Party (in Lithuanian). 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Nacionalinio susivienijimo suvažiavimo rezoliucija dėl nepritarimo daugybinės pilietybės įteisinimui - Nacionalinis susivienijimas" (in Lithuanian). 14 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Tyrimas: kitąmet vyksiančiame pilietybės referendume dalyvautų 60 proc. gyventojų". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). 14 November 2023.
