“We must think about how to help our citizens who want to retain their citizenship, but the Constitution ought not to be bulldozed over,” she told reporters.
The parliament is currently debating draft amendments to the Law on Citizenship to allow people who left the country after it regained independence in 1990 and acquired citizenship of any other EU or NATO member state to preserve their Lithuanian citizenship.
The president maintains that the bill runs counter to the Constitutional Court‘s ruling that broadening dual citizenship requires amending the Constitution through a referendum.
“I’d ask those members of the Seimas who believe that the Constitution may be disregarded if they swore their oath on the Constitution or some other book,” she said.
Some 114 lawmakers registered the bill amid fears that a part of Lithuanians living in the United Kingdom will opt for British passports to maintain their rights after the country leaves the European Union.
Around 200,000 Lithuanians currently live in Britain.
Lawmakers say that they are ready to override the president’s veto if she returns the bill to the parliament.
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