Lithuanian Seimas refused to strip Belarusians of the right to vote in local elections
On March 24, the Lithuanian Seimas rejected a proposal by opposition conservatives to amend the Constitution, which would have prohibited citizens of Belarus and Russia permanently residing in the country from voting and running in municipal elections. 28 deputies voted for the ban, 28 voted against, 14 abstained, reports LRT.
During a session of the Lithuanian Seimas. Illustrative photo. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images
One of the authors of the initiative, conservative Dalia Asanavičiūtė-Gruževskienė, explained that the proposal is related to Russia's war against Ukraine, which began in 2022. According to her, Russia not only conducts military operations but also seeks to interfere in elections, using its diaspora.
At the same time, agrarian representative Valius Ąžuolas expressed surprise that the right-wing and liberals, while previously in power, themselves invited highly qualified Belarusians to work in Lithuania, and now, being in opposition, propose to restrict their rights.
In the 2023 local elections, there were 21,650 foreign permanent residents in Lithuania, of whom about 17,000 were citizens of non-EU countries, mainly Russia (approximately 8.8 thousand) and Belarus (about 3 thousand). As of January this year, the number of foreigners has grown to 24,545, including almost 19,000 from non-EU countries; the number of Russians decreased to 8,398, while Belarusians increased to 4 thousand.
Asanavičiūtė-Gruževskienė noted that less than 4,300 foreigners exercised their right to vote three years ago. She emphasized that national security must be a priority, and restricting rights should not be the main focus.
Conservatives proposed changing the Constitution and the Election Code so that only citizens of Lithuania or states that meet the criteria of European and transatlantic integration would have the right to vote and be elected. Currently, the law allows all permanent residents of the respective self-government, including foreigners with a residence permit, to vote and run for office.
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