Lithuanian European Union membership referendum, 2003
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Lithuanian European Union referendum took place from 10 May to 11 May 2003 to decide whether Lithuania
should join the European Union
(EU). Over 90% of those who voted supported membership and Lithuania joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
summit in Helsinki
and was formally invited to join the EU in December 2002 at a summit in Copenhagen
.
In June 2002 and February 2003 the Lithuanian Parliament
amended Lithuania's laws on referendum
s. Previously, for a referendum to pass, 50% of the voters had to vote and over 50% of all eligible registered voters had to support the proposal. After the amendment only a simple majority of participants in favour was required for the referendum to pass, while still having the requirement for turnout
to be over 50%. To help reach the turnout requirement, the voting hours were extended, postal voting was allowed for 11 days before the referendum, and a second voting day was added. Parliament then set the date for EU referendum to be the 10-11 May and set the question for the vote.
I am for Lithuania's membership of the European Union.
Virtually all of Lithuania's major political parties supported membership of the EU and opinion polls as the date approached. showed about 65% of voters would vote yes. The President of Lithuania Rolandas Paksas
, who used to compete in aerobatics
competitions, flew around Lithuania in his plane performing stunts to raise enthusiasm. The campaign was very one-sided with only a poorly organised No campaign based on milk producers, Russian
speakers and right wing nationalists.
s and turnout was over 60%, safely over the required level.
Celebrations were held in Lithuania's capital Vilnius
following the referendum. A concert
was held near the Presidential palace
, President Paksas addressed the crowd saying "Hello Europeans!" and the Prime Minister
Algirdas Brazauskas
and parliamentary speaker
Artūras Paulauskas
cut a referendum cake. The European Commission
President Romano Prodi
congratulated Lithuania on the referendum result.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
should join the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU). Over 90% of those who voted supported membership and Lithuania joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
Background
Lithuania was invited to begin negotiations to join the EU in December 1999 at a European CouncilEuropean Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
summit in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and was formally invited to join the EU in December 2002 at a summit in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
In June 2002 and February 2003 the Lithuanian Parliament
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
amended Lithuania's laws on referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s. Previously, for a referendum to pass, 50% of the voters had to vote and over 50% of all eligible registered voters had to support the proposal. After the amendment only a simple majority of participants in favour was required for the referendum to pass, while still having the requirement for turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
to be over 50%. To help reach the turnout requirement, the voting hours were extended, postal voting was allowed for 11 days before the referendum, and a second voting day was added. Parliament then set the date for EU referendum to be the 10-11 May and set the question for the vote.
Referendum question
Lithuanian voters were asked to vote yes or no to the statement:I am for Lithuania's membership of the European Union.
Campaign
An information campaign on the European Union was begun in 2000 and involved the Elderships of Lithuania and the Catholic church. Opinion polls, which at the end of 1999 had only 29% supporters of the EU, showed a steady rise in support in the years leading up to the referendum.Virtually all of Lithuania's major political parties supported membership of the EU and opinion polls as the date approached. showed about 65% of voters would vote yes. The President of Lithuania Rolandas Paksas
Rolandas Paksas
Rolandas Paksas is a Lithuanian politician who was President of Lithuania from 2003 to 2004. He was previously Prime Minister of Lithuania in 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001, and he also served as Mayor of Vilnius from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001...
, who used to compete in aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
competitions, flew around Lithuania in his plane performing stunts to raise enthusiasm. The campaign was very one-sided with only a poorly organised No campaign based on milk producers, Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
speakers and right wing nationalists.
Turnout
The biggest concern for the yes campaign was whether turnout would reach the 50% required for the referendum to be valid. After the first day of voting turnout was only 30% and both the President and Prime Minister appeared on TV to urge Lithuanians to vote. There was a surge in voting on the Sunday with many people voting after church services. Lithuanian supermarkets also had a campaign on the second day of voting, offering cheaper beer, chocolate and soap to those who showed they had voted. In the end there were queues outside some voting boothVoting booth
A voting booth or polling booth is a room or cabin in a polling station where voters are able to cast their vote in private to protect the secrecy of the ballot. Commonly the entrance to the voting booth is a retractable curtain...
s and turnout was over 60%, safely over the required level.
Results
| Electorate | Spoilt votes | Turnout (%) | For (%) | Against (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,638,886 | 20,526 | 1,672,317 (63.4) | 1,504,264 (91.1) | 147,527 (8.9) |
| Source: The Lithuanian EU Accession Referendum | ||||
Celebrations were held in Lithuania's capital Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
following the referendum. A concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
was held near the Presidential palace
Presidential Palace, Vilnius
The Presidential Palace , located in Vilnius Old Town, is the official office and eventual official residence of the President of Lithuania. The palace dates back to the 14th century and during its history it has undergone various reconstructions, supervised by prominent architects, including...
, President Paksas addressed the crowd saying "Hello Europeans!" and the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Lithuania
The Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of the executive arm of Lithuania's government, and is chosen by the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. The modern office of Prime Minister was established in 1990, although the official title was "Chairperson of the Council of Ministers" until 25...
Algirdas Brazauskas
Algirdas Brazauskas
Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was the first President of a newly independent post-Soviet Union Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006....
and parliamentary speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Artūras Paulauskas
Arturas Paulauskas
Artūras Paulauskas is a Lithuanian politician. He was the Speaker of Seimas, the parliament of Lithuania, from 2000 to 2006, and he served as Acting President of Lithuania from 6 April 2004 to 12 July 2004.-Early career:...
cut a referendum cake. The European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
President Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
congratulated Lithuania on the referendum result.