Dual citizenship for foreign nationals moves onward

VILNIUS - LithuanianPresident Valdas Adamkus proposed holding a referendum on dual citizenship in conjunction with the 2009 presidential elections.

Adamkus voiced the suggestion at a meeting of presidents of the Lithuanian World Community and the World Lithuanian Youth Union in Trakai.

The president pledged to ask Parliamentary Speaker Ceslovas Jursenas soon to initiate a parliamentary decision on the referendum.

In mid-July, the parliament approved the presidential veto on the new Citizenship Law and voted in support of the president-proposed amendments, which provide that dual citizenship can be an option for children of Lithuanian nationals born abroad and citizens of the countries with which Lithuaniahas dual citizenship agreements. So far, Lithuaniahas not signed any such agreements.

The vetoed law stipulated that only children of Lithuanian emigrants born abroad and Lithuanian nationals who are acquiring citizenship of EU and NATO countries could be able to have two passports.

When vetoing the law, the president stressed that the new Citizenship Law as adopted by the parliament was disregarding the constitutional requirement that a Lithuanian citizen can only be a citizen of yet another country in exceptional cases.

At this time Article 12.2 of the Constitution provides for a possibility to have dual citizenship in exceptional cases, however this matter is extremely important for foreign Lithuanians-- upon becoming citizens of their country of residence, they lose their Lithuanian passport immediately.

President of the Board of the World LithuanianCommunity, Regina Narusiene, censured Adamkus' veto of the law and expressed disappointment in the parliament's approval of the presidential veto.

In the fall of 2006, the Constitutional Court found that the country's main law provides for dual citizenship as rare exceptions, declaring laws allowing dual citizenship as running counter the Constitution.