112 members of parliament voted in favour of bringing back temporary military conscription in the country, 3 MPs were against with 5 abstentions.
The issue will be further discussed in fast-track procedures.
The parliament's decision was immediately welcomed by President Dalia Grybauskaite. "I congratulate the Seimas on making this very important and very much needed decision," she said.
Not all MPs okayed the planned drafting of only 3,000 citizens. In the opinion of Conservative Kestutis Masiulis, the number of conscripts should be much bigger, while temporary reinstatement of conscription should not be limited to only 5 years. Social Democrat Birute Vesaite, meanwhile, wants to send prisoners to the army as well.
"They should be integrated very carefully. But this way we would give a chance to these young people," she believes.
Former Minister of National Defence, Conservative Rasa Jukneviciene stressed that the returning conscription does not mean preparation for war – it is actually a means of deterrence.
"Not only we have been waiting for this voting. NATO structures have welcomed this news too () today we have no other choice but to pass this decision because otherwise we would send a very disappointing message," the MP said.
MPs mostly disagreed about the Law on Military Conscription rather than the Law on Principal Structure of Armed Forces. The Law on Military Conscription sets out the procedures and exceptions of drafting, which will be separately discussed by different political groups and committees of the Seimas.
Upon presenting the law amendments to the Seimas, National Defence Minister Juozas Olekas said that the planned number of drafted citizens will allow Lithuania not only manning the currently half-empty battalions but it will also allow building up a military reserve and, in the case of threat, properly receiving NATO allies.
As reported, around 3,000-3,500 conscripts should be drafted already this year to carry out a 9-month military service.
