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A constitutional referendum will be held in Lithuania on 12 May 2024 alongside the first round of the presidential elections.[1] Voters will be asked whether they approve of a constitutional amendment to allow Lithuanians to hold multiple citizenships.
Background
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]
A referendum on the same issue was held in 2019. Although 74% voted in favour, the number voting in favour 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 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
The "Yes" vote has been endorsed by presidential candidates Giedrimas Jeglinskas, Aurelijus Veryga and Dainius Žalimas, as well as most political parties.[3]
A study by the Government of Lithuania showed that 60 percent of respondents intend to participate in the referendum.[6]
Opinion polls
| 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 | - | |
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Valiauskaitė, Aistė (2023-11-20). "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). 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
- ^ "Tyrimas: kitąmet vyksiančiame pilietybės referendume dalyvautų 60 proc. gyventojų". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). 2023-11-14.
