Lithuania Plans to Strip Citizens of Belarus and Russia of Voting Rights in Municipal Elections

The Lithuanian Parliament is set to deprive citizens of Belarus and Russia of their voting rights in municipal elections. This was reported by BELTA, citing Lithuanian media sources.

Members of the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Dalia Asanavichute and Laurynas Kasciunas, have proposed amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral Code of Lithuania, which they intend to register shortly.

A similar amendment to the Constitution was previously adopted by the Estonian Parliament. "In light of the increase in citizens arriving from non-European, non-transatlantic regions, and in order to minimize threats, based on Estonia's example, we propose to restrict the right to participate in municipal elections for citizens of countries outside the EU, EEA, NATO, and OECD. We also propose to amend the Electoral Code and Constitution to prohibit these individuals from running for office," Asanavichute stated.

In the explanatory note accompanying the proposal, it is asserted that following the onset of the special operation in Ukraine, there has been an alleged increase in "Russian interference in elections" throughout Europe and the world, a situation that "cannot be ignored."