Transnational Politics and the State: The External Voting Rights of Diasporas

205 Pages·2013·2.295 MB·English

by  Jean-Michel LaFleur

Transnational Politics and the State
Jean-Michel Lafl eur is a Research Associate of the Belgian Fund for
Scientifi c Research (FRS-FNRS) and a lecturer at the Center for Ethnic
and Migration Studies, Université de Liège, Belgium.
Routledge Research in Transnationalism
1 New Transnational Social Spaces 9 Culture and Economy in the
International Migration and Indian Diaspora
Transnational Companies in the Edited by Bhikhu Parekh,
Early 21st Century Gurharpal Singh and Steven
Edited by Ludger Pries Vertovec
2 Transnational Muslim Politics 10 International Migration and
Reimagining the Umma the Globalization of Domestic
Peter G. Mandaville Politics
Edited by Rey Koslowski
3 New Approaches to Migration?
Transnational Communities and 11 Gender in Transnationalism
the Transformation of Home Home, Longing and Belonging
Edited by Nadje Al-Ali and Khalid among Moroccan Migrant Women
Koser Ruba Salih
4 Work and Migration: 12 State/Nation/Transnation
Life and Livelihoods in a Perspectives on Transnationalism
Globalizing World in the Asia-Paci(cid:2) c
Edited by Ninna Nyberg Sorensen Edited by Brenda S. A. Yeoh and
and Karen Fog Olwig Katie Willis
5 Communities across Borders 13 Transnational Activism in Asia
New Immigrants and Problems of Power and
Transnational Cultures Democracy
Edited by Paul Kennedy and Edited by Nicola Piper
Victor Roudometof and Anders Uhlin
6 Transnational Spaces 14 Diaspora, Identity and Religion
Edited by Peter Jackson, Phil New Directions in Theory and
Crang and Claire Dwyer Research
Edited by Waltraud Kokot,
7 The Media of Diaspora Khachig Tölölyan and Carolin
Edited by Karim H. Karim Alfonso
8 Transnational Politics
Turks and Kurds in Germany
Eva Østergaard-Nielsen
15 Cross-Border Governance in the 24 Beyond Methodological
European Union Nationalism
Edited by Olivier Thomas Research Methodologies for
Kramsch and Barbara Hooper Cross-Border Studies
Edited by Anna Amelina,
16 Transnational Connections and Devrimsel D. Nergiz, Thomas
the Arab Gulf Faist and Nina Glick Schiller
Edited by Madawi Al-Rasheed
25 Transnationalism and Urbanism
17 Central Asia and the Caucasus Edited by Stefan Krätke, Kathrin
Transnationalism and Diaspora Wildner, and Stephan Lanz
Edited by Touraj Atabaki and
Sanjyot Mehendale 26 Transnational Marriage
New Perspectives from Europe
18 International Migration and and Beyond
Security Edited by Katharine Charsley
Opportunities and Challenges
Edited by Elspeth Guild and 27 Transnational Politics and the
Joanne van Selm State
The External Voting Rights of
19 Transnational European Union Diasporas
Towards a Common Political Jean-Michel La(cid:2) eur
Space
Edited by Wolfram Kaiser with
Peter Starie
20 Geopolitics of European Union
Enlargement
The Fortress Empire
Edited by Warwick Armstrong and
James Anderson
21 Rethinking Transnationalism
The Meso-link of Organisations
Edited by Ludger Pries
22 Theorising Transnational
Migration
The Status Paradox of Migration
Boris Nieswand
23 Migration, Nation States, and
International Cooperation
Edited by Randall Hansen, Jobst
Koehler and Jeannette Money
Transnational Politics
and the State
The External Voting Rights of Diasporas
Jean-Michel La(cid:2) eur
1
~ Routledge
~ ~ Taylor&FrancisGroup
NNEEWW YYOORRKK LLOONNDDOONN
First published 2013
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lafleur, Jean-Michel.
Transnational politics and the state : the external voting rights of
diasporas / Jean-Michel Lafleur.
pages cm. — (Routledge research in transnationalism ; 27)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Immigrants—Political activity. 2. Transnationalism. 3. Ethnic
groups—Political activity. 4. Globalization—Political aspects. I. Title.
JV6255.L33 2012
324.6'5—dc23
2012025945
ISBN: 978-0-415-58450-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-07728-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by IBT Global.
To Evelyn
Contents
List of Tables xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
1 Conceptualizing External Voting 13
2 Understanding the Development of External Voting
Rights Worldwide: The Legal, Normative,
and Sociopolitical Arguments 32
3 Mexico: Enfranchising Emigrants under
Conditions of Democratic Transition 50
4 Italy: Electoral Benefi ts and the
Enfranchisement of Citizens Abroad 74
5 Responding to the Call: The Implementation
of External Voting and Voter Turnout Abroad 94
6 Affi nities across Borders: Emigrant Voters
and the Formation of Political Opinions Abroad 117
7 “Do You Hear Me Now?” External Voting, Reserved
Seats, and Emigrant Power in the Home and Host Societies 133
Conclusion 149
Appendix A: Methodology 161
Appendix B: Interview Details 165
Notes 169
References 175
Index 187
Tables
1.1 Countries and Territories with Legislative or Constitutional
Provisions for External Voting 19
1.2 Countries that Implemented External Voting Policies for the
First Time in the 1990s and 2000s 25
5.1 Electoral Results and Political Preferences of Emigrant
Voters in 2006 and 2012 102
5.2 Most Participative Italian Emigrant Groups, by Host
Country (House of Representatives, 2006) 107
5.3 Participation in the 2006 and 2008 Elections Abroad
(House of Representatives) 110
6.1 2009 Bolivian Presidential Election Results (%) 120
6.2 Variables Infl uencing Emigrants’ Vote in Favor of/against
Evo Morales 121
6.3 Variables Infl uencing Emigrants’ Approval of Evo Morales’s
Government 122
6.4 Electoral Results Abroad—2006 Italian Legislative Elections 129
Abbreviations
ACLI Associazioni Cristiane dei Lavoratori Italiani (Christian
Association of Italian Workers)
AIRE Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero (Registry of
Italian Citizens Residing Abroad)
AMSE Asamblea Mexicana por el Sufragio Efectivo (Mexican
Assembly for Eff ective Voting)
AN Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance Party, Italy)
CCIME Consejo Consultivo del Instituto de los Mexicanos en el
Exterior (Consultative Council of the Institute of Mexicans
Abroad)
CCME Conseil de la Communauté Marocaine à l’Etranger
(Consultative Council for the Moroccan Community
Abroad)
CDPME Coalición por los Derechos Políticos de los Mexicanos en el
Extranjero (Coalition of Mexicans Abroad for the Right to
Vote)
CEDEM Centre d’Etudes de l’Ethnicité et des Migrations (Center for
Ethnic and Migration Studies of the University of Liège,
Belgium)
CGIE Consiglio Generale degli Italiani all’Estero (General Council
of Italians Abroad)
CMENV Coalición de Mexicanos en el Exterior—Nuestro Voto en el
2000 (Coalition of Mexicans Abroad—Our Vote in 2000)
CNE Consulta Nazionale dell’Emigrazione (National Council on
Emigration, Italy)
CNE Corte Nacional Electoral (National Electoral Court, Bolivia)
COFIPE Código Federal de Instituciones y Procedimientos Electorales
(Institutional and Electoral Proceedings Federal Code,
Mexico)
COMITES Comitati degli Italiani all’Estero (Committees of Italians
Residing Abroad)
CONAGO Conferencia Nacional de Gobernadores (National
Conference of Governors, Mexico)