Nausėda backs constitutional change defining family in referendum

President Gitanas Nausėda says Lithuania’s parliament should call an advisory referendum on the definition of family and that he would support the proposed constitutional wording, LRT reports.

The proposal, which has stalled in parliament, would ask voters whether they agree that family legal relationships arise only from a marriage between a man and a woman, motherhood and fatherhood. Voters would be asked to choose “Yes” or “No”.

Asked by BNS whether he supported the proposed constitutional amendment, Nausėda replied: “I think so.” He said he understood the definition of family as it is currently written in the Constitution, but found legal interpretations of it difficult to understand.

“I read it as I read it, and it seems clear to me. But when interpretations begin, it becomes completely unclear,” the president said.

The Constitution states that the family is the foundation of society and the state, and that the state protects and cares for the family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood. It also says that marriage is based on the free agreement of a man and a woman. The Constitutional Court has previously ruled that the concept of family is broader than the union of a man and a woman.

Nausėda urged parliament to let people express their views, stressing that the referendum would be advisory and not binding. “To be honest, sometimes I don’t understand why people’s opinions are feared so much,” he said.

Parliament approved the referendum resolution in principle in early April, but further consideration has stalled in parliamentary committees. Last week, the junior coalition partner, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, urged the Social Democrats to bring the initiative back to the plenary chamber and linked the issue to its support for next year’s state budget.

Under the proposal, the referendum would be held alongside municipal elections in March 2027.