On the case of single-seat constituencies

It has become a bad tradition that before almost every parliamentary election attempts to fiddle with the single-seat constituencies' boarders begin. Such a tactic is reprehensible as it is harmful for the democracy rules and it diminishes voters’ trust to political parties and to the whole electoral system in our country.

The demographic changes in Lithuania has become a reason for the Central Electoral Commission officers to increase the constituency size rate admitting the lowest and the highest number of the voters in particular constituencies, 0,8% and 1,2% respectively. The increase of the bottom and upper rate by the Lithuanian Seimas in 2004 led to even bigger disproportion in the number of voters in individual constituencies. It is clearly visible on the examples of Vilnius and Kaunas.

There are over 40 000 voters in all constituencies in Vilnius and about 30 000 in all (apart from two) constituencies of Kaunas. Such disproportions cause significant diversity in the power of votes in individual constituencies. This creates a situation in which one member of Parliament can be chosen by 30 000 of potential voters, while another can be chosen by 45 000. We claim that such a solution is against the rules of democracy as it puts both the candidates and the voters in unequal situation in parliamentary elections.

Therefore, the EAPL demands that the size rates of the single-seat constituencies from the period before 2004, i.e. bottom rate of 0,9% and the upper rate of 1,1%, have to be restored. Such a solution would give equal opportunities to voters in particular constituencies and would equal candidates’ chances of winning the elections.

We also claim that the demographic situation in Vilnius and Kaunas allows for the increase of the single-seat constituencies from 10 to 11 in the capital, and for the reduction from 8 to 7 in Kaunas. That would be a more logical and fair solution in opposition to the idea of the Central Electoral Commission to issue a fake ‘deportation’ of the capital city voters to the regions surrounding Vilnius. We claim that the idea of Central Electoral Commission to attach particular  electoral districts of Vilnius to the electoral constituencies of the Regions of Vilnius, Širvintai, Trakai, Elektrėnai, Šalčininkai has no social justification and separates the traditional administrative, parish, and local bonds. And in a political sense it will reinforce inequalities in the individual local governments.

Vilnius, 28^th April 2012