Lithuanian lawmakers are proposing changes that would significantly restrict the right of foreign nationals to vote in municipal elections, citing heightened security concerns following Russia’s war in Ukraine and the rise of hybrid threats across Europe. The initiative has sparked a polarised debate over national security, democratic participation and immigrant integration.
Under current rules, Lithuania allows not only its own citizens and European Union nationals but also non-EU foreigners with permanent residence permits to vote – and even run for office – in municipal elections. But conservative MPs in the country’s parliament argue Lithuania is now an outlier in the Baltic region and that the system poses growing risks.
Lawmakers Laurynas Kasčiūnas and Dalia Asanavičiūtė-Gružauskienė of the conservative Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats have proposed amending the constitution to limit voting rights to citizens of countries aligned with Lithuania’s “European and transatlantic orientation”. That would include citizens of the EU, NATO, the European Economic Area and the OECD.
The draft amendments have been registered in the parliament, Seimas, and are expected to be debated during the spring session starting in March.
According to the proposal’s authors, Lithuania is currently the only Baltic state that still allows citizens of third countries to vote in local elections. Estonia amended its constitution in 2025 to restrict local voting rights to EU citizens, while Latvia does not allow third-country nationals to vote.
“As the number of foreign voters grows, this becomes not only a political but also a strategic issue,” Asanavičiūtė-Gružauskienė said. She cited assessments by Lithuania’s State Security Department warning that Russia, Belarus and China actively seek to use diasporas to interfere in democratic processes.
At the January 2026 count, about 24,500 foreign residents in Lithuania were eligible to vote in municipal elections, up from about 21,000 in 2023. Roughly half of those who voted in the last local elections were Russian or Belarusian citizens, she said.
Under the proposed changes, about 77% of foreign residents currently eligible to vote would lose that right, according to the lawmaker.
The proposal has drawn criticism from some long-term residents. Oleg, a Belarusian citizen who has lived in the seaside town of Palanga for more than a decade and spoke on condition that his surname not be used, said the initiative amounts to stripping away rights that immigrants have already earned.
“I am against this decision because it infringes on rights,” he said. “People who have this right have lived here at least five years, integrated, passed language and constitutional exams. They took part in municipal life and could influence things. Now they are being excluded.”
Decisions made by the local government very much affects the daily lives of all residents, irrespective of their nationality, he argued. “It concerns me how the streets are cleaned, how the mayor’s office functions. We’ve had the same mayor for over ten years. Everyone sees the corruption, but they’re afraid to speak out.”
Oleg said he voted in previous municipal elections and worries the change would alienate residents from local civic life. “If you take this away, you feel switched off – from life, from the chance to influence anything,” he said.
Others say they understand the initiative, arguing that security considerations now outweigh integration goals. Ukrainian journalist Maria Kutniakova said she was surprised to learn that noncitizens can vote in Lithuania at all, noting that in Ukraine only citizens are allowed to participate in elections.
“I understand the logic of people who propose this solution,” she said. “Given the current situation in Europe, overall security comes first.”
Kutniakova added that while local government decisions affect foreigners’ daily lives, losing the right to vote would not be a personal trauma for her. “If Lithuanian citizens decide that third-country nationals should not vote, I will accept it calmly,” she said.
The debate has also split political parties. Rimantas Sinkevičius, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence and a Social Democrat, said he broadly supports restricting voting rights to citizens.
“If you allow someone to vote, you also allow them to be elected,” Sinkevičius said. “Power is usually chosen by citizens.”
He rejected claims the proposal targets Russians and Belarusians specifically. “This would apply to everyone,” he said, though he questioned whether long-term residents without citizenship can truly be considered loyal to the state.
Legal experts caution that implementing the changes will be complex. Constitutional law expert Darius Butvilavičius said the current system is explicitly enshrined in Lithuania’s constitution, meaning any restrictions would require constitutional amendments.
“At the municipal level, active voting rights today belong not only to Lithuanian citizens but also to other permanent residents,” he said. Limiting those rights based on citizenship would require a lengthy procedure, including two parliamentary votes at least three months apart, each backed by a two-thirds majority.
Since the constitution was adopted in 1992, it has been amended only 15 times. “Stability is one of the constitution’s key values,” Butvilavičius said. “It should not be changed without real legal necessity.”
Supporters of the proposal argue that integration should focus less on voting rights and more on language and labour-market participation. Asanavičiūtė-Gružauskienė noted that Lithuania employs more than 170,000 foreign workers and has expanded state-funded Lithuanian language programs.
She added that long-term residents who wish to fully participate in political life have the option of applying for Lithuanian citizenship, which grants voting rights at all levels.
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