Defying Obstacles, More Kosovo Diaspora Members Intend to Vote

Members of Kosovo's huge diaspora intend to vote in larger numbers than ever in the forthcoming October elections - but advocacy groups say the process is still too complicated and time-consuming.

Those who have registered to vote have until October 4 to access their right to cast ballots in the early parliamentary elections due on October 6.

The elections come after former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj resigned on July 19 to testify before Kosovo's Specialist Chambers about war crime allegations.

Impoverished Kosovo relies heavily on diaspora remittances, which reached a peak of 800 million euros in 2018, according to the Central Bank.

Data from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, KAS, also suggests an extraordinary 30 per cent of Kosovo's population now live abroad, while simultaneously contributing to its GDP.

But many of these people are failing - or not being encouraged - to exercise their constitutional rights back home.

Only 400,000 people have been registered as members of the diaspora by the Ministry of the Diaspora.

The KAS says this is far short of the real figure. It believes around 800,000 Kosovars live all around the world.

Media outlet Kallxo.com has reported that, according to Germin, an NGO that acts to better organise diaspora members, around 350,000 Kosovars in the diaspora are of voting age - almost as many as the total number registered by the Ministry of the Diaspora in 2016.

Many say the voting procedures for Kosovars abroad are old-fashioned and complex. To vote in October, they need to complete two different forms, depending on whether they are registered as citizens or not. After registration is accepted, they can vote by post but not online.

Despite the difficulties in voting,...