Around 50 members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, have proposed holding a popular referendum on redefining the concept of family in the country’s constitution, LRT reports. The MPs argue that the Constitutional Court exceeded its authority when ruling that the concept of family was gender-neutral and not exclusive to married couples, and that limiting civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples was discriminatory. As proposed, the consultative referendum would ask if voters agree that a family is only based on marriage between a man and a woman. Meanwhile, legal experts stressed that interpreting the law was the role of courts, not politicians. Human rights groups urged the European Commission to take urgent action to stop the referendum, BNS reported. Some MPs suggested that the referendum plan was a political ploy to gain support ahead of municipal elections due in spring 2027.
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