You say in Canada a "majority" is required (see 1:14); you actually meant to say "plurality". Majority means "more than 50%"

@LithuaniaExplainedVlog

23 күн бұрын

Oops- yes, thank you for the correction!

The steep requirement only applies to the first section of the constitution that contains the most crucial stuff that's why it's the hardest to change!!

@LithuaniaExplainedVlog

27 күн бұрын

That makes sense, I guess!

We have the same clause, to alter Latvia's constitution in a significant way 50%+ of the total eligible voters have to vote for the change. We've had some attempted amendments to our constitution (Satversme) in the past, yet only one got enough voter turnout to count. I think the referendums context will clue you in on the high turnout and as to why our constitutions are sacred and hard to change, this is what the ballot read - To the question of "Are you in favor of the adoption of the draft law "Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia", which provides for the status of the second state language for the Russian language?" the answer was a loud and clear 75.04% NO!

@wheatt

26 күн бұрын

uamee what are you doing here 😁

26 күн бұрын

@@wheatt I see Lietuva I click, can't help myself 😅

@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714

25 күн бұрын

Id say even calling for this referendum was a violation of the parlamentarians oath, specifically this part - ... Latvijas tautas priekšā zvēru būt uzticīgs Latvijai, stiprināt tās suverenitāti un latviešu valodu kā vienīgo valsts valodu ...

The threshold for the dual citizenship vote is almost unreasonable 😢

@edmundas919

24 күн бұрын

The threshold for constitution article change is very reasonable.

It is completely reasonable and understandable, to require more than HALF vote of eligible population to pass change in CONSTITUTION. You almost gave good reasoning of why in the beginning of your video. Reason why I personally disprove dual citizenship, is the fact that if passed, citizens of foreign nations can directly participate in changing Lithuanian constitution, laws, and in some cases, take, governmental positions. There are countless other very complicated issues that comes with dual citizenship if looked in depth that was never mentioned nor publicly analysed. Only, and I mean, one and ONLY point and cherry of referendum campaign was ''Lithuanians abroad needs Lithuanian citizenship, go vote yes''. What is more peculiar is why there were 1mil. + voting for the change.

@jurijlapo6354

12 күн бұрын

I voted - no - because I don't really understand the concept of double citizenship. Perhaps next time we should make a referendum about polygamy and then we'll know better

Costs of an election that intents to be free and fair are of lower importance for those who have a living memory of decades of totalitarism.

In Denmark it's similar. If you want to alter the constitution you have to call a general election, a majority of the newly elected parliament has to approve the change and then it has to go through a referendum where at least 40% of all eligible voters have to approve it. After that it is up to the monarch whether to ratify the change or not.

If not mistaken, around 360k had right to vote outside Lithuania. How manu of them voted - around 60k ? It was calculated that to pass, around 175K extra votes would be enought. So, where are they from those 300k unvoted? My conclusion - if they don’t need then i’m not gonna support.

@MeLoveParisHilton

26 күн бұрын

Sadly the truth

@mariusalesiunas8607

25 күн бұрын

60k registered to votte, out of whom 59% voted. so like just 10% of outside Lithuania were interested in Dual Citineship

@Dommo_

22 күн бұрын

I think the referendum was poorly advertised to Lithuanian expats, many people I talked to didn’t know about the referendum. I even talked to a Lithuanian military reservist who didn’t know the referendum was going on! The voting slips were also sent out way too late in many places, I got mine in Asia like 2-3 weeks before the election / referendum (I don’t think my experience could’ve been any easier, they nailed it), but in London they got it the day before the election. They had to bring their papers to a post office and send it out as soon as possible to make sure it arrived on time. I’m convinced that out of the 44% who got their ballots but didn’t vote, many just took a day or so to send out their vote or just didn’t have their vote arrive on time. I don’t think there should be any change to what it takes for a referendum to pass, but these matters should be better advertised to the public abroad and honestly, there needs to be more incentive for people to vote (60% turnout is ridiculous, maybe there should be a voting deposit or something in tax that you get back once you vote) I’m returning back home to Lietuva next year and am quite annoyed that I cannot take on my wife’s citizenship alongside my own, which would make life easier for us both.

Proportional representation is a great thing

Dual citizenship should be allowed in Lithuania. It's ridiculous that the referendum did not pass.

I think the refferendum was porly presented to the people. Nowhere in the voting place or in the official websited did they do a comparison of the changes. The refferendum only said do you agree with the new wording of that section of constitution. If there were a comparison of the current way its worded it might not have felt like we were being intentionaly poorly informed. As for the referendum i dont see a point in giving a vote to people that preffer other countries and dont live in Lithuania why is some guy half way arround the world have a say in lithuanian elections?

@v1das007

26 күн бұрын

That was the point - keep the following results of the change unexplained, so they could write down anything they want later. It was a swindle that, thankfully, many people didn't buy.

Very interesting! Thanks for your videos! :)

One issue that people in lithuania have is that people living abroad have the right to vote. That shouldn't be the case as they're not paying any taxes. Also, paradoxically they're not active voters for thr change either but end up counting in the "eligible voters" total. If this was changed I believe referendum would pass and it would be more fair for Lithuanians who actually live in Lithuania. Sadly I don't think there will be a third referendum however

Just a few points that could have been more clear: Multiple rounds of voting: In parliamentary systems (parliament holds majority of legistlative power) they are not necessary as the party with the most votes doesn't "win" everything*, they just have the most seats and usually have to form coalitions with other parties to get over that 50% seats count to have a functional government - so the percentage of votes is very relevant & respected, not only who got the most votes. In presedential elecions there is always a second round if no one achieved over 50%. (in any country i know at least, inculding lithuania) Constitunaional changes: Changing a constitution is not like changing any other law or rule as it contains the rules on how to make rules. If you can change them withou a big hassle, there are no rules at all (well... for the ruling party). Let's say you only need a simple majority and your country is in a rough spot right now. Populist parties are on the move and achieved a landslide victory. Sadly this god damn independent judicative constantly points out that their politicians seem to stumple upon ungodly amounts of money, which hurts their polls. The right of the judicial branch are mostly defined in the constitution, so no government can easily erode them. If all you need is a good point in time, a well funded media campaign and a bit of luck to change the rules, parties can ealisly coax them in their favor - basicly what illiberal democracies are doing already, but on crack. (constitutions vary a lot between countries ofc., and often different sections have different prerequisites to change them, some may be changed by a government just because they want to, others may requiere a referendum with at least 66% approval, but changing anything from the balance of power to personal rights (like citizenship) usually has a veeery high prerequisite) Regardless if you think that the constituational rules are already coaxed in someones favor, being able to change a constitution "on a whim" is probably dangerous. *there are some systems which award the party with the most votes a flat amount of additional seats (e.g. Greece), where a second round could make sense. TLDR: Parliamentary elections don't need a second round & changing the constitution might be too hard, but at least with a good reason.

Well, it's not like those are the rules for all referendums in general! Only for amending the constitution.

I think it SHOULD be difficult to change the constitution. Lithuanian constitution is pretty great and maybe that's an idea for your next video 😅

@LithuaniaExplainedVlog

27 күн бұрын

I agree- and I understand why that high threshold is there. 💪 But I think in the case of this referendum, the will of voters (people participating in the voting process) is not being recognized.

I agree with the Lithuanian rule for referendum. You want a majority in favour. Let take a Dutch example. There was a referendum. The quora (the number of votes given ) was set on 30%. The outcome was that just over 30%voted. And just over 50% was in favour. There was a very active "yes" campaign with misinformation. it was a topic that not everybody cared about. So les then 16% of the voting population got their way. Luckily this referendum was not binding.

i thought this was the main channel upload lol

That problem could have been solved by mandatory voting on constitutional referendums, and why not on everything else that can be voted on as well.

@LithuaniaExplainedVlog

16 күн бұрын

True- it was interesting for me to learn that Australia, Belgium, Austria and a long list of other countries have compulsory voting.

Canadian English "slightly disappointing" means "enraging" in standard English 😂

I was (of course) upset too - my wife, a Lithuanian who became an American citzien roughly 5 years ago, still oves her country greatly! She considers herself a "dual citizen" even though she lost her LT citizenship by accepting US citizenship. It's really sad that the LT population around the world who have naturalized in their new homes can no longer claim to be Lithuanian. This referendum would have been a small step towards making dual citizenship a "thing" in Lithuania. It's actually quite complicated, the verbage of the referendum, but it was a step in the right direction - but now, for example, we want to move to Lithuania to live - we are both tried of the USA, but she is, effectively a foreigner in her home country .... just kinda messed up, if you ask my opinion. I think it would be a great way for Lithuania to allow its emegrants to stay LT, pay thier taxes, and be able to return, prn, to the country of their birth without restrictions like the "90 day rule" that now applies to my wife. Maybe one day it will change, but as it stands now, and I'm going to exagerate a little but here, but my point is valid: if some American teenager finds out that his grandparents had some sort of Lithuanian tie, but LEFT lithuania during a certain time from (I believe prior to 1930 something??), then that teenager has right to LT citizenship, and can relativily easliy claim it ... I've seen a few videos of people doing this, and then they ARE a dual citizen - without ever having visited LT ... I know it sounds super simple (it isn't), but that's the gist of it ....not fair

@v1das007

26 күн бұрын

She can regain her citizenship anytime she wants, but she will have to refuse her American citizenship. She won't, though, will she? It is in nobody's interest, but hers, to be able to travel in the EU with a Lithuanian passport. I don't see why her convenience is anybody's business, and why people that have nothing to do with the country anymore should be able to elect OUR government. Believe it or not, there are people that still live in the country. We are getting tired from all the migrants coming back only to use the free healthcare system that we - the people that live there - are actually paying for. This is the mentality of a typical migrant - they use the country for free education, free healthcare and all the other stuff that children are provided. Then, they leave the country without having paid a single cent into the budget for their whole life, and start making demands. It turns out that we still owe them something.

@blacklion8208

25 күн бұрын

My wife has the same problem for duel citizenship being that she left LT a few years ago. Luckily we live in the EU and she has all the rights as though she has duel citizenship except she can't vote in her new country, but she still has the right to vote in LT via the embassy, which is a good thing.

@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714

25 күн бұрын

New worlders and not understanding that citizenship and nationality are 2 seperate things. You can renounce your citizenship, your nationality in unchangable.

The only real treat to Canada is weather and slifht chance of some idiot fundamentalists. Lithuania is in diferent situation we aditionaly have two dictatorship countries who remind us their teritorial claims everyday. So we not want be flooded with easy agents. Second - if somone is seeking LTU citizenship - it obviously very deliberate choice. And yes todays citinzenship law is too harsh for both foreigners and lithuanians themselves. But constitutional change by most was very leaking and flat. If were would proper discussions - more people would vote.

@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714

25 күн бұрын

The chinese taking over Vancoover and indians taking over Toronto is a real threat.

It's a fair system, but there's next to none worthy candidates, so we're still screwed

I struggle to understand why you have such a difficult time to understand why the referendum on dual citizenships has the threshold it does. Elected presidents serve a set term; changes to the constitution do not. To me it's only logical that such a change, regardless of it's intent, must be taken seriously by everyone eligible to vote. Failure to convince someone to say yes, no or to voice their opinion on the matter is a reflection of the one(s) pursuing the change - the fact that you have failed twice clearly demonstrates that either majority of eligible voters do not see it as an important change or that you do not possess the ability to convince others that it is. I'm from Lithuania's northern sister and there are many differences - for example we don't even have the right to vote for our president, but we share enough similarities in our culture and history that I feel like it's worth mentioning nonetheless. Dual citizenships are a very sensitive topic in eastern Europe due to the history we all share. While Latvia is much more ''open'' to the idea of dual citizenships, many of the arguments against it(or rather the obstacles in Latvia's case) are the same. The requirements are strict and the list of nations with which you're even allowed to have a dual citizenship with is kept short. Even with all that, we probably serve as an example as to why it is a bad idea to have dual citizenships in the first place. I'm sure that if you have integrated yourself in Lithuania and speak local language you'd receive overwhelmingly positive opinions about dual citizenship for yourself(after all, from what I can understand the proposed change is mostly meant for Lithuanians who emigrated and took upon citizenship of another nation), but it's a change that is permanent and as shown by Russia it can also be used a political weapon. It is relatively easy to remove a bad politician from the office compared to canceling one's citizenship who's using it with bad intentions.

As an anarchocapitalist/Voluntaryist I feel that you assume people who don't vote do it out of disinterest, not out of principle. Non-votes should be counted separately. In Sweden we recently had more people not voting than who voted for the biggest party in the country. But those votes didn't count at all, even though it meant: More people rather don't have any of the parties in votes, or rather don't have the system we got, than voting for whatever is supposed to represent us

@kurteisner67

25 күн бұрын

The majority of people who don't vote throughout all jurisdictions in the world at almost all points in history do so because of disinterest, not out of principle. While your point that not all people do renounce their possibility to vote out of disinterest is correct, your interpretation as the opposite of the original premise is arguably even more wrong than the initial assumption. As an anarcho-communist myself who refuses to vote myself I do understand why someone would like to attribute the abstention as politically motivated (and the same applies to minorities who refuses to vote for religious reasons), but it's not empirically true. Ironically, there has in fact been a case in Lithuanian history where a larger part of the electorate (however, even then not a majority) actually refused to vote on principles: The 1990 Lithuanian Supreme Soviet election. Your conclusion is incorrect BTW. The same way it's wrong to say that "those who don't vote necessarily agree with the outcome, whatever it may be" the opposite is untrue as well. Contrarily to your claim, it has been proven time and time again that many people that don't vote a) in fact are overall content with the current system in place and b) do not fundamentally oppose the options presented.

It is completely fair. We are talking about the constitution changes here. What is not fair, is repeating the same kind of referendum time and time again in hopes that it will pass some day. And it is not fair to make a massive media campaign advocating for the change and playing with emotions while not answering serious questions about the effects it will have. And people who advocated for this change were mostly the same people who were against the change to lower the threshold of signatures needed for citizens to initiate the referendum. So it is dangerous for citizens to have lower barrier to initiate the referendum, but having lower barrier to actually pass it is desired? It seems that the only thing that is wanted here is for the powerful to have realistically exclusive power to initiate referendums and realistic chances of passing by just dumping a massive campaign of brainwashing, or in worst case scenario just repeating until the desired result is achieved.

@eruno_

25 күн бұрын

literally every political party and Lithuanian population both abroad and not is in favour of allowing double citizenship. The fact is simple, people want it, but system doesn't allow it. Also there's no "brainwashing", don't act like delusional conspiracy theorist.

If you migrate to another country, you should never ever be able to vote for that country. As simple as that. Go to your original country if you want a change

I've pressed like for video and noticed it's 70. Sorry unliked it, let's keep it 69

Every 5 years I vote NO because I don't want rich people having double citizenship, it makes me inferior.

@Asbestos_

26 күн бұрын

So you want to "punish" people How petty

@narutoincore123

26 күн бұрын

@Asbestos_ No, I defend my rights. If you want Lithuanian passport, first turn down yours passport.

@Asbestos_

26 күн бұрын

@narutoincore123 I'm talking about the perspective of lithuanians living abroad. Some of them want to come back. Even if partialy. There's no reason not to let them come back and bring their money/expertise back to Lithuania. It's better for everyone

@narutoincore123

26 күн бұрын

@Asbestos_ OH no. It's not about that. They want for our government to have full control on who gets double passport. Yes, it's not written on the paper that us(Lithuanians)voted. To see for what you are voting you need to go and read what constitution says. Imagine if they written exactly what that vote is about. Naive adults this days🤣🤣🤣🤣

@narutoincore123

26 күн бұрын

@Asbestos_ This vote has nothing to do with that. It's about changing constitutions 12article.

I was surprised how omnipresent the sentiment against allowing dual citizenship was online, aspecially in places like r/lietuva and r/Lithuania on reddit. Its a change that will not affect the lives in anyway for over 90% of people, but for those people for whom it would be valuable, it only makes things harder for no benefit. I only heard emotional arguments that "if you left the country, then you shouldn't be a citizen" "people would only use this to travel easier" etc. This to me just increases the feeling that Lithuanian society is moving further and further to the right and nationalistic stance. I would reckon it is a result of "tautiškumo pamokos" (nationality lessons), the fact that maybe at most only 4 foreign authors are even discussed in literature classes and many other aspects in school curriculum that's intended to instill nationalism, but I went off on a ramble, just something that's been on my mind as I spoke to people on the internet, I am expecting backlash for this, but generally I dont think schools should be a place where you are taught that dying for your country is a virtue etc, but you should learn about the world, be familair with world literature understand the societies around you, but instead its a laser focus on lithuanian history, literature and geography.

@blank7818

27 күн бұрын

I saw a lot of missinformation for the referendum online especially facebook

@constipatedwonka8061

26 күн бұрын

I wouldn't say the country is moving to the right, but it is definitely getting more nationalist due to the recent geopolitical situation. What concerns me more is that Lithuanian nationalism remains to be oxymoronic in nature, in a sense that people will constantly demonize and shit talk their own country, people and culture, while simultaneously not doing anything about it. People frequently watch the news and get angry about current events, but they rarely if ever become involved in politics, that is if they even vote. It's as if Lithuanian nationalism is defined by nothing else but self-flagellation. Any sort of achievement is viewed enviously and not as praiseworthy (unless it's a niche field like sports or music).

@varliagyvis

26 күн бұрын

Is it? I think the proportion in education between national and global subjects is optimal. Unless your focus was only on one particular grade study program. But looking into whole 12 years of studying at school, the distribution is quite reasonable. To reduce national subjects would be a great dream for descendants of those who executed lithuanian press ban in 1865, performed deportations of lithuanians to siberia in 1941. They'd be pretty happy if no one would talk about their grandparents' performed tortures on lithuanians, expropriation of property, restrictions of freedom, human rights and the list goes on. Not because of shame, but because their imperialistic dreams haven't changed. As the ancestors of current lithuanians did tremendous sacrifices for the language and for the nation to survive, therefore remembering this history, these people at school is the very least what could be done. Anyways, globalization is inevitable, but to have a strong bond with your history, with your ground and people (even if they'd have dual citizenship) - is it really a problem? Obviously it was a problem for candidates for president that were clearly prokremlins, and they were against dual citizenship, although masking their intentions and talking about how referendum was illegal and etc. Electorate of these candidates voted accordingly, but majority of those who understand lithuanian history and respect it, they voted for dual citizenship.

@ambiguousdrink4067

26 күн бұрын

Literature classes (at least here in Poland and I assume from your comment in Lithuania too) aren't only about literature but cultural education as a whole. By going through the ages you see the culture that preceded you and still has an impact to this day. You gain an understanding of your culture, what makes your people distinct from others and what experiences shaped that. Learning literature isn't just about seeing what were the trends of different ages, but also how they affect you and the people around you. In fact, the foreign texts that I had learned in Poland were also for the most part those very influential in Polish culture: A collection of Ancient Greek Myths, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Bible, certain works of Shakespeare, 1984 and Animal Farm and some more. And I know I talked about Poland, but that's where I have experience and I believe this might be the same case in Lithuania. It's about making the wider national identity something more than just the language, recent events and a vague notion of shared history.

@dreamcore7

25 күн бұрын

It doesn't matter what you find online, vast majority of voters were in favor not against the referendum. It was just that not enough people voted. Foreign Lithuanians were least active by the way. I also never heard that if you live in another country, you should lose citizenship. However, I heard ridiculous claims that Lithuanians living abroad are losing their Lithuanian citizenship status, while by law they lose due to accepting another one. Furthermore, your school curriculum criticism is unfounded. I am quite certain that in other countries situation is familiar and the literature required for children mainly involves National authors with only few forgein authors.

Šimonyte would have been a great outcome.