A few days ago, El Pais published the PP and the PSOE have reached an agreement in the parliamentary subcommittee on the reform of the electoral law, which all those registered as resident in Spain consulates abroad we take away the right to vote to the regional governments, the municipalities and the big surprise, the Congress of Deputies. Instead is assigned a senator voted by residents abroad.
This proposal still has to be translated into law and be voted by the Congress of Deputies, but since the agreement of the major parties, the inability, for obvious reasons, this group of one million three hundred thousand people overseas to create enough noise in the press as well as the reception, mostly positive, people who have heard of this proposal can be expected to pass without problems.
I never thought I had to do this, but I want to defend here, because I like English a foreign resident, I have the right to vote for president of my country:
1) My passport is worth only as much as the government of my Country:
a. The countries that I can get depend on the government of my country. Under the agreements, partnerships and government decisions that I may or may not enter without a visa according to which countries get a visa to work in others, or simply be banned. Without voting rights, the English foreign can do nothing to prevent a right-wing government lead the country out of the EU or an authoritarian leftist government like Cuba or Venezuela make us enemies of the U.S. and much of West. B.
Companies where I can work depends on the government of my country. Especially for all that is military issues, space, or government projects, to be or not to join NATO, or may not be in the EU, membership of a list of countries hostile or not, opens and closes the doors of companies that employment mainly government-funded projects. C.
I may or may not vote in municipal elections in the country where I usually live, depending on the decisions of the government of my country and the agreements they reached with other countries.
2) Spain is the only place where many foreigners have a right of permanent residence. The rights that I have or not the only place where I have permanent residency depends on government decisions. Issues like gay marriage, abortion, immigration or other laws of social issues depend on a government that I can not choose. Spain is the only place where I have the right to remain without being able to throw me out, it seems clear from a democratic point of view that I can choose what rights the state respects.
3) My family lives mostly in Spain and I have the right to vote the rights enjoyed by members of my family in my country.
4) It must be really perverse interpretation of Article 68 constitution to ensure that it protects my right to vote the government of my country:
"The law recognizes and the State shall facilitate the exercise of the right to vote the English who are outside the territory of Spain. "
In 2004 I started writing this blog while abroad, and most have written living outside Spain. If you review the posts, it seems that being away has never been a serious issue to discuss today English policy, since over 60% of posts are about politics, and some had at the time quite an echo in the network. Ensure that anyone living that was my opinion is less informed than those who reside there, it's insulting, and that my rights depend on some of the characters from Street more than me is an aberration undemocratic.
If things run their course, it seems that the upcoming elections will be the first in which I devote to remind people of their democratic duty to vote, it would be rather hypocritical since I can not. Who I was going to tell me! I still remember when I wrote Mariano asking me to vote as a resident abroad. Those were the days!
