A list of names does not become law on its own. Change requires organizing, public support, and the necessary votes in Parliament.
Here we explain clearly what we're asking for, how it can be passed, and what role each of us can play.
What we're asking for
We are asking for the creation of a dedicated electoral district for the diaspora, with reserved seats in Parliament for representatives of Albanians living abroad.
Today, diaspora votes are counted within the 12 existing districts, based on the voter's district of origin. This lets Albanians abroad vote, but gives them no way to elect dedicated representatives who answer directly to them. Voting from abroad was implemented for the first time in the 2025 parliamentary elections.
With a dedicated district:
- diaspora votes would be gathered into one electoral unit;
- the diaspora would elect its own representatives;
- candidates would answer directly to voters abroad;
- representation would no longer depend on votes scattered across 12 districts.
Italy, France, Croatia, and Portugal have used dedicated forms of parliamentary representation for their citizens abroad. The models differ from one country to another, but the principle is the same: citizens abroad can have distinct representation in parliament.
We are asking for a model adapted to Albania and written clearly into electoral law.
How it becomes real
A petition can show support. It cannot change the law by itself.
The diaspora electoral district has to be passed by Parliament.
The Electoral Code is one of the laws that require the approval of at least three-fifths of all MPs. In a 140-seat Parliament, that means at least 84 votes.
If the chosen model also requires a constitutional change, a constitutional amendment must be approved by no fewer than two-thirds of all MPs — at least 94 votes.
This means the change cannot depend on a single party.
We have to build enough public support that MPs from different political forces see passing the diaspora district as the right choice, and rejecting it as a stance they have to answer for.
Our numbers create the pressure. Parliament changes the law.
How we build the support
Our work rests on three pillars.
01 — A community that can be counted
We need a registered, verified, and reachable community.
Not just social-media followers. Not just likes and shares. It takes a real number of Albanians who back the same demand and are ready to act when needed.
When that community grows large enough, no party can treat the diaspora as a group to be remembered only during campaigns.
02 — A demand that can be measured
We will ask every party and every MP to state their position clearly: do you support creating a dedicated electoral district for the diaspora?
The answers will be documented and shown to our supporters.
General statements about “the importance of the diaspora” are not enough. We're asking for a clear position on a concrete legal change.
03 — Sustained participation
A movement isn't won with one email, one post, or one day of protest.
It takes continuous work:
- growing the community;
- informing voters;
- meetings with MPs and institutions;
- publishing parties' positions;
- registering to vote from abroad;
- taking part in electoral processes.
The goal is to build a community that keeps acting until the reform is passed and implemented.
European in principle, Albanian in solution
Electoral processes, political rights, and the integrity of elections are part of Albania's democratic assessment.
Even so, we should not claim that the European Union has asked Albania for our exact model. The dedicated diaspora district is our proposal.
Our argument is more direct: Albania gave its citizens abroad the ability to vote from the countries where they live. The next step should be to consider a model that also gives them distinct representation.
Other European countries show this is possible. Albania should build the model that fits its own system.
A vote freer from local pressure
Albanians abroad usually don't depend on the Albanian administration for their job, wage, or everyday services.
This may give them more freedom to vote according to their convictions.
But we shouldn't claim that every diaspora vote is automatically free from influence, pressure, or party organizing. No group of voters is fully immune.
The diaspora's strength lies elsewhere: it can organize independently, request public information, and hold parties to account without the same dependencies that exist inside the Albanian administration.
No illusions and no false promises
We will not pretend this change will happen quickly.
We will not pretend that a parliament content with the current system will act on its own.
And we will not pretend that a list of names equals a passed law.
This requires measured, sustained work. It may take several years. It may require agreements between political forces that are not ready to support it today.
But change is possible. Until the 2025 elections, Albanians abroad had never voted from the countries where they live in parliamentary elections. Voting from abroad became a reality once the legal and administrative basis for it was created.
Now we have to build the next step: direct representation.
An organized community doesn't guarantee victory. But without an organized community, the demand can be ignored at no political cost.