Extending the Rights of Diaspora Through External Voting in the Balkan Countries: An Analysis of the Seven Independent States of the Former Yugoslavia

Many countries are improving diaspora engagement policies to contribute to development processes and maintain ties with their diasporas politically and culturally. The seven independent Balkan states of former Yugoslavia, which are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia, have improved diaspora engagement policies. When compared to their population and GDP, the number of citizens living abroad and remittances received by these countries are proportionally large, so diaspora engagement policies are significant for these countries. This paper aims to examine external voting policies which entitle the diaspora right to vote in the homeland in the seven Balkan states through the lens of diaspora engagement policies. This paper concluded that all the examined countries recognize the potential of their diasporas and have similarities, but they are at different stages of diaspora voting. Although the countries allow external voting, the diaspora’s voting turnout is very limited. Results show that extending the right of diaspora is legally not enough, and new methods need to be improved to cope with challenges. These countries may create a new perspective to increase diaspora’s interest in the homeland elections and consider an extraterritorial and non-residential form of citizenship if they wish to find leverage through diaspora engagement policies for their development.