by Izquierda Unida Exterior
The federation of Izquierda Unida Exterior (IU Exterior) celebrates the registration in Congress, by Unidas Podemos, of a law proposal to eliminate the “voto rogado”, a system implemented in 2011 by the PP, PSOE, CiU and PNV that reduced the electoral participation abroad to a minimum of up to 5%. The proposal, included in the Government agreement, will be debated, presumably, during the last week of February.
“The law proposal of Unidas Podemos will put an end to a historical democratic scourge towards the Spanish emigration”, emphasized the co-speaker of IU Exterior Nerea Fernández. “Despite the fact that this is good news, from IU we will remain vigilant so that none of the political groups reduces the proposal during the amendment process and the final text manages to completely put an end to this injustice”.
To this end, IU Exterior points out that the derogation of the “voto rogado” must be accompanied by other measures such as the extension of the deadlines for sending ballots, facilitating registration in the census and the carrying out of consular procedures by telematic means, or putting an end to the existing irregularities in the censuses. “For all this to work, it is also necessary to increase the technical and human resources in the consulates, especially in those where the number of residents has increased the most, and improve the working conditions of foreign service staff,” says the co-spokesman of the federation Eduardo Velázquez.
“Today’s good news has been possible thanks to the constant and determined struggle of the emigration collectives, and particularly Marea Granate, which has done an incredible work for more than 10 years”, adds Velázquez.
IU Exterior regrets that the derogation of the vote comes too late for the Catalan elections, despite having led to anomalies such as the Catalan electorate abroad had only one day to request the documentation to vote, although later the deadline to do so was extended.
This text was originally published in Spanish on the IU Exterior website
