It is a very country specific question, but in general terms it usually does not matter when they've resided in the country, it is citizenship based. Indeed, the USA does it the same way - it is citizenship, not recency of residence that matters. Many Turks in Germany could potentially have citizenship by descent, but Germany has until very recently had strong limits on non-EU double citizenship.
True, the Romanian diaspora in Europe is kind of an outlier (together with Moldovan and Turkish diaspora) in being more right-wing, compared to the diaspora of other countries in Europe.
Sure. We're now waiting for votes from people living abroad — who have no plans to return to Poland, don't pay taxes here, don't use our roads, hospitals, or schools — but will decide what's best for us. Because obviously, they know better from the comfort of their flats in London or Oslo.
Who needs local responsibility when you’ve got long-distance wisdom?
Even if we live abroad we're still affected by government policy
If there's Polexit for example, or war, or different rules for granting passports, or granting citizenship for same sex couples children, stuff like that
I agree with you. There are cases where decisions made in Poland can affect people living abroad, such as Polexit, war or passport policy. These are worth mentioning.
The problem, however, is that once you open the voting doors to long-term emigrants, you have to accept that their vote counts just as much on any issue - not just those that are of personal importance to them. So yes, they can vote to protect their rights abroad.... but they can also vote for economic or social policies that have a profound impact on people living in Poland every day, while they themselves have no say in the matter.
And what if next time they vote for something you strongly disagree with something that only affects us here, but you still have to live with the consequences? Imagine, for example, millions of French citizens living abroad voting Marine Le Pen into power while they themselves stay in Canada, the UK, or Australia whatever, untouched by the social unrest, economic shifts, or civil liberties at stake in France. Sounds fair?
That's the danger of giving equal voice to people who no longer share the same daily reality.
That's with all voting - old people voting for things affecting young people, people without children voting for things affecting schools, city people Vs country side, "Poland A" Vs "Poland B"...
Lol; just because someone isn’t currently in Poland doesn’t mean their voice shouldn’t count whatsoever. If you go on vacation, should we take away your citizenship for the duration?
Comparing a vacation to a long-term or permanent emigration? That's like comparing someone who went out to lunch with someone who moved out years ago and is now commenting on how to renovate a house.
The key issue is not citizenship - it's the actual consequences. People who live permanently abroad are disconnected from everyday reality in Poland. Meanwhile, those of us who live here will be directly affected in our health care, education, economy and daily life. I even have a relative who has lived in Australia for 30-40 years - and he proudly told us remotely that he voted. I'm not even kidding. They voted on Polish issues from the other side of the world. Is that what we call a “vacation” now?
At this point it's not participation. It's remotely controlled politics.
So yes, everyone can have an opinion, but pretending that long-term expats have the same interest or perspective as people who actually live in this country is just dishonest.
No I totally understand. I was born in Germany, I have a Polish dowód osobisty because I like to renew it when I visit my family. I mean, I spent a significant part of my childhood there, it’s my first language and my entire family except for me and my parents live in Poland. I’d technically be allowed to vote, and so are my parents. We chose not to because well, we’re not directly affected. But my family is, my chrześniak is, my grandmothers health care is… I sometimes would love to vote, and I do understand people who do vote. We’re citizens after all and all of our loved ones are affected by the results. We worry and care about them. However, my parents emigrated over 20 years ago. Visiting family 2-3 times a year isn’t enough to be aware of all of the details to actually make an informed choice. (I do inform myself on Polish politics but you know). I’d be hella mad if, say, the German AfD won elections because the German diaspora decided on it.
I understand the sentiment but when the Polish voters in UK were interviewed about their motivations it very often was either "I am soon moving back and want to have a voice in how the country will be shaped" or "I will come back one day in future...". So it is not all so straight forward.
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u/Aerovore Jun 01 '25
This is extremely concerning that the votes are soooo close.