Lithuanian lawmakers push advisory referendum on family definition in constitution

Around 50 Lithuanian lawmakers from both the ruling coalition and opposition have united to propose an advisory referendum on defining family in the constitution as a union exclusively between a man and a woman, LRT reports.

The initiative, backed by a mix of governing and opposition MPs, would ask voters whether family legal relations should arise only from marriage between a man and a woman, as well as parenthood. Supporters argue the Constitutional Court overstepped its authority in 2023 by ruling that the state’s failure to regulate same-sex partnerships was unconstitutional.

Legal experts counter that courts—not politicians—interpret law, and the referendum could undermine both the constitution and European legal standards. The Constitutional Court previously ruled that restricting partnerships to opposite-sex couples is discriminatory and that family, as a legal concept, is gender-neutral.

Critics, including Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, call the referendum a “pre-election trick” ahead of next year’s municipal elections, warning it risks violating human rights. “Claims that children in certain families are doomed to unhappy lives are absolutely unacceptable,” she said.

Conservative MP Audronius Ažubalis accused the Constitutional Court of “legal activism,” while fellow conservative Matas Maldeikis admitted the referendum aligns with his party’s election strategy, linking it to the Family March movement.

The advisory referendum’s results would not be legally binding but would serve as a recommendation to parliament. Social Democrat Ruslanas Baranovas acknowledged internal divisions in his faction but argued politicians should not define family: “Most understand this is nonsense, but some fear it will be used against them.”

The push comes over a year after the Constitutional Court urged lawmakers to amend civil codes to recognize same-sex partnerships, a step the government has yet to take. Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry has appealed four court rulings ordering officials to recognize such unions in the absence of regulating laws.