Lithuania’s opposition conservative party is proposing constitutional amendments that would bar Russian and Belarusian citizens permanently residing in the country from voting in local elections or being elected to municipal councils.
The Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) said Thursday the move is aimed at limiting the political participation of citizens from countries outside the European Union and NATO.
“We propose to restrict or prohibit citizens of non-EU and non-NATO countries from participating in municipal council and mayoral elections,” party leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas told a news conference at the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament. He said similar restrictions are already in place in Latvia and Estonia.
TS-LKD lawmaker Dalia Asanavičiūtė-Gružauskienė said the proposed changes are necessary in light of Russia’s interference in elections across the EU and concerns over foreign influence, particularly as the number of Russian and Belarusian citizens living in Lithuania grows.
The party has drafted amendments to the Constitution and the Election Code and collected 36 signatures from members of parliament, allowing the proposal to be formally submitted to the Seimas.
Under the proposed legislation, the right to vote in municipal council and mayoral elections would be limited to Lithuanian citizens and permanent residents who are citizens of countries meeting Lithuania’s “criteria for European and transatlantic integration”. The same criteria would apply to candidates running for mayor or municipal council seats.
Currently, all permanent residents of a municipality – including foreign nationals with permanent residence permits who are registered locally – are allowed to vote and stand in local elections.
According to figures reported by BNS, ahead of Lithuania’s 2023 local elections, 18,717 non-EU citizens held permanent residence permits and had the right to vote in local elections. Of those, only 4,291 non-citizens cast ballots, including 1,685 Russian citizens and 582 Belarusian citizens.
In the 2019 local elections, 2,289 Russian citizens and 607 Belarusian citizens voted.
The proposed constitutional amendments would require broad parliamentary support to pass.
Scepticism from Interior Ministry
Deputy Interior Minister Alicija Ščerbaitė, however, is sceptical about the proposal. “If a [non-EU] citizen exercises all their rights and obligations, why can’t they vote?” she said.
She argued that foreigners who qualify for permanent residence in Lithuania get vetted by the country’s security agencies and therefore do not pose any threats.
“A person with the status of a permanent resident in Lithuania must know the Constitution and the Lithuanian language, and the State Security Department is always involved in all processes related to migration,” she said at a press conference at the Ministry of the Interior on Thursday. “And this means that such individuals and their activities do not go unmonitored.”
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