Special Representation of Citizens Living Abroad: A Global Comparison

Abstract

Speaker: Dr. Sebastián Umpierrez de Reguero, Autonomous University of Madrid So far, 21 countries have introduced, and some thereafter withdrawn, reserved legislative seats for their citizens living abroad. In this presentation, I first evaluate the main dimensions of institutional variation of special representation: (1) eligibility, (2) constituency structure, and (3) electoral proportionality. I introduce a brief normative discussion and map the range of empirical variation highlighting the most common arrangements. Focusing on a case of over-representation (Ecuador), I then present results that examine the role of descriptive representation of citizens living abroad in elections for extraterritorial districts using an original dataset of candidacy observations in three two-seat districts in several elections, connecting electoral rules, party-level and socio-demographic factors with non-resident citizens’ special representation. Finally, I conclude this presentation by outlining future research agenda on this specific form of representation.