Since Lithuania declared independence from the USSR , eleven referendums have been held in the country. Due to stringent requirements, only four referenda were successful. Lithuanian legislation in force in the 1990s required that more than half of all registered voters vote in support of the proposal submitted to the referendum, otherwise the decision would not be binding on the authorities. In 2002, this requirement was reduced to one third of all registered voters.
| Portal: Politics |
| Lithuania |
 Series Article |
|
The initiation of a referendum is also a difficult task. Initiators must collect and submit 300 thousand signatures of registered voters within three months. Members of the Seimas can also initiate a referendum; for this, at least a quarter of all deputies must vote for it. Despite difficulties in organizing, holding referenda is very popular among Lithuanian politicians.
2002: New Referendum Law
On the eve of the referendum on membership in the European Union on June 4, 2002, a new referendum law was passed.
The law provides for a secret ballot on the basis of universal , direct and equal suffrage. There are two types of referenda: mandatory and consultative (consultative).
Only if approved by a mandatory referendum can:
- Amend the Chapters 1 (State of Lithuania) and 14th (On Amending the Constitution) of the Constitution of Lithuania.
- Amend the Constitutional Law of June 8, 1992 “On Non-Alignment of the Republic of Lithuania in the Post-Soviet Eastern Alliance ”.
- To approve participation in international organizations if membership requires a partial transfer of the competence of state bodies to the institutions of international organizations or in their jurisdiction.
In all other cases, the organizers themselves determine which referendum, mandatory or advisory, should be held.
The law reduced the number of votes required to approve a resolution. A decision by an advisory referendum requires the participation of half of all registered voters and half of those participating must vote in favor. If these conditions are met, the Seimas is obliged to consider the issue raised in a referendum within a month and make a decision on it. For the success of the mandatory referendum, it is required that more than half of all registered voters participate in it, of which more than half of the voting participants must vote in favor, but not less than one third of all citizens of the country who have the right to vote. There are exceptions to this rule:
- To amend the first sentence of the Constitution (“The State of Lithuania is an Independent, Democratic Republic”) and amend the constitutional law of June 8, 1992, approval of at least three quarters of all citizens entitled to vote is required.
- Changes to chapters of the 1st and 14th Constitution can be made only with the approval of more than half of all registered voters.
- The decision to participate in international organizations can be approved by more than half of the voters who participated in the referendum. This exception was adopted on February 25, 2003 , just 2.5 months before the referendum on Lithuania’s membership in the European Union.
The law also reduced the number of deputies of the Seimas necessary for declaring a referendum from one third to one quarter. The requirements for referendum initiators from among non-deputies remained the same: they must collect 300 thousand signatures of registered voters in three months.
Referenda
Successful referenda are highlighted in light green, unsuccessful ones are highlighted in pink. Color indicates the number that was used to determine the result. Two referenda failed for two reasons: the questions put to them not only did not receive the support of more than half of all registered voters, but less than 50% of the voters participated in the vote itself. They are considered not held.
| No. | date of | Topic | Voter turnout (%) | Voted in favor (%) | Voted against (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| from total [~ 1] | from voters [~ 2] | from total | from voters | ||||
| one | February 9, 1991 | Referendum on independence from the USSR | 84.74 | 76.46 | 90.24 | 5.54 | 6.54 |
| 2 | May 23, 1992 | Presidency Referendum | 59.18 | 40,99 | 69.27 | 15.13 | 25.57 |
| 3 | June 14, 1992 | The referendum on the withdrawal of Soviet troops | 76.05 | 68.95 | 90.67 | 5.51 | 7.25 |
| four | October 25, 1992 | The referendum on the new constitution | 75.26 | 56.75 | 75,42 | 15.78 | 20.98 |
| 5 | August 27, 1994 | Privatization and Compensation Referendum | 36.89 | 30.85 [~ 3] | 83.63 | 3.81 | 10.34 |
| 6 | October 20, 1996 | Referendum on amending the Constitution of Lithuania | 52.11 | 33.86 [~ 4] | 65.00 | 9.18 | 17.63 |
| 7 | October 20, 1996 | Deposit Compensation Referendum | 52,46 | 38.97 | 74.31 | 10.01 | 19.10 |
| 8 | November 10, 1996 | Referendum on amending the Constitution of Lithuania | 39.73 | 17.24 | 43.41 | 15.91 | 40.05 |
| 9 | May 10 - 11, 2003 | Referendum on Lithuania's accession to the European Union | 63.37 | 57.00 | 89.95 | 5.59 | 8.82 |
| 10 | October 12, 2008 | Atomic Energy Referendum | 48.44 | 88.59 | 8.32 | ||
| eleven | October 14, 2012 | Atomic Energy Referendum | 52,58 | 35.23 | 64.77 | ||
- ↑ The phrase “of the total” means the percentage of the total number of registered voters
- ↑ The phrase “from voters” means the percentage of voters who participated in a referendum
- ↑ 8 different questions were included on the ballot. Only the results on the first question are given, the results on other issues differ slightly
- ↑ 3 different questions were included on the ballot. Only the results on the first question are given, the results on other issues differ slightly
Literature
- Nuo 1991 m. iki šiol paskelbtų referendumų rezultatai (Results of Lithuanian referenda from 1991 to 2008), Seimas. (lit.)
- Law on Referendum , Seimas, June 4, 2002. No. IX – 929 (as amended on November 17, 2005, No. X-398). (eng.)
- Act amending chapters 7, 11, 13, 35, 43, 50, 51, 54, 78 and the addition of chapter 78 (1) of the Referendum Act , Seimas. 02/25/2003, No. IX-1349. (lit.)
- Audrius Bačiulis. Referendumas - būdas siekti populiarumo (lit.) . Vyidas Magazine , No. 29 (July 18, 2002). - 1. Date of treatment June 15, 2013. Archived June 29, 2013.
- Audrius Bačiulis. Referendumas - būdas siekti populiarumo (lit.) . Vyidas Magazine , No. 29 (July 18, 2002). - 2. Date of treatment June 15, 2013.