Do we know what question will be decided in the referendum in May?
“As I understand it, we will have to vote for or against certain changes in the Constitution in the referendum. I don’t know in great detail and much about what would change,” admitted the young man, when asked what he knew about the importance of the referendum to be held in May for our country.
“So far, I have not been more interested in it, but I know that the referendum will decide on the right of Lithuanian citizens to dual citizenship. I will definitely go to express my voice, so I will find out more about all the details,” said another interviewee.
In order for residents to have more information about the inexorably approaching referendum, Marius Gurskas, director of the Government Communication Department, answers people’s questions. He noticed that Lithuania is one of the few European countries whose citizenship is lost simply by acquiring another country’s passport.
“Such a provision is now provided by Article 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, which, in principle, establishes the prohibition to preserve the Lithuanian citizenship acquired by birth after certain life circumstances have arisen and the citizenship of another country has been accepted. Every year, 1,000 people lose their Lithuanian citizenship. The issue is very important when thinking about the future of our country,” he asserted.
According to M. Gurska, language, territory and population are the main attributes of the state, which form the structure of the state and allow it to function and ensure the well-being of its inhabitants. For this reason, people’s involvement and expressing their voice in the referendum is an important and significant civic duty.
“The issue being resolved is important for the future of the state, because the joint decision of all of us will depend on how many Lithuanian citizens we will have, how many of them will create the well-being of our state,” said the Director of the Government’s Communication Department.
What will the ballot look like?
Before the referendum takes place, it is important for residents to familiarize themselves not only with its importance, but also with the voting procedure itself. Unfortunately, at least for now, the young people said they had not, but claimed they knew where to look for all the information they needed.
“I understand that this is not a game or entertainment and that ignorance does not exempt from responsibility, so I will still look online about what the ballot will look like, what will need to be marked in order to achieve one or another decision. For now, I’m putting it off,” the interviewer did not hide.
“I don’t know how exactly the wording of the question sounds, but I know that we will have to choose one of the possible options: “for” or “against”, that is, whether we are in favor of changing the law or not,” said the girl.
And, in part, the young woman is right – during the referendum, residents will have to choose one side, which they will support with their vote.
“The exact wording of the question to be decided by the referendum reads as follows: “Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania is acquired at birth and on other grounds and procedures established by the constitutional law. The constitutional law also establishes the grounds and procedure for the loss of citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania”. In Article 12 of this law, it will be proposed to abandon the sentence “Except for individual cases provided for by law, no one can be a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania and another state at the same time”, which currently does not allow retaining Lithuanian citizenship after acquiring the citizenship of another state. Voters who support such a constitutional amendment vote by marking the YES box on the ballot, those who disagree vote NO,” explained M. Gurskas.
If the amendment of Article 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania is approved, Lithuanian citizens would be given the opportunity to preserve the Lithuanian citizenship acquired by birth, after they acquire the citizenship of countries friendly to Lithuania.
It is true that Lithuanians who live or will be in other countries of the world on the day of the referendum have the right to express their vote in the referendum. M. Gurskas said that he hopes that there will be more and more Lithuanians who want to vote, so we will all be able to solve this important issue together.
“Lithuanian citizens who live abroad or will visit abroad during the referendum must register at www.rinkejopuslapis.lt. Those living abroad will be able to vote by mail or by visiting the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Lithuania”, explained M. Gurskas.
We remind you that all relevant information about the referendum and its procedure can be found on the special referendum website: www.referendumas2024.lt. The referendum is the only opportunity to examine the issue of preserving Lithuanian citizenship for persons who have adopted the citizenship of another state.
Tags: #12th question decide referendum
