The 2014 referendum in Lithuania

ENAmong important political events of 2014 in Lithuania was a binding referendum on the amendment of articles 9, 47 and 147 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. The last referendum of this type was held more than 10 years ago (10-11 May 2003) on the country’s membership in the European Union. Since then Lithuania has had two consultative referendums in the area of nuclear energy. But both of them were combined with general elections in order to have a higher participation primarily in the elections. Because of these referendum initiatives some political parties had expectations to increase their vote share during the parliamentary elections of 2008 and 2012. In other words, the 2008 and 2012 consultative referendums have been rather instruments to mobilize additional supporters for the parliamentary elections, but not real means to decide about a substantial policy issue. Moreover, between 1991 and 2014 Lithuania held 11 referendums and one plebiscite; nine of these were binding and three consultative. Valid decisions were passed only in three binding referendums, i.e. the removal of the ex-Soviet military troops from Lithuania, the Constitution adoption, and the accession to the EU. The consultative referendum on the construction of a new nuclear power plant (2012) was able to pass a 50 per cent voter turnout threshold, but the issue was rejected with almost two-thirds of “no” votes. Under these circumstances, the attempt to initiate a binding referendum on the amendment of articles 9, 47 and 147 of the Constitution in 2014 looked as a mission impossible from the very beginning.