Opposition leader Kubilius sceptical about dual citizenship referendum

“It is my belief that we have to revise the law here. If we see that it is possible to simply submit amendments, we will do that. If we see that we have to turn to the Constitutional Court again, we will also propose the move,” Kubilius told a news conference at the parliament on Monday.

“I support the idea of settling the issue without a referendum,” said the politician.

Kubilius restated his disapproval of the referendum, as he thinks the ballot may simply lead to an unwanted outcome. The Constitution’s article on citizenship can only be changed by way of a referendum, and the proposed change would require support of at least 50 percent of all voters.

“This means that the outcome of the referendum may be very vague,” he added.

In his words, all Lithuanian citizens should have the opportunity to have dual citizenship regardless of the date of their emigration – before or after Lithuania regained independence in 1990.

Currently, dual citizenship is an option only to those who left Lithuania during the occupation or their descendants, but not to those who left after 1990.

The Constitutional Court has said that broader application of dual citizenship would require amending the country’s main law, which can only be done through a plebiscite.