Amendments to the Law on Citizenship – a new attempt by Self-Determination to court the diaspora ahead of possible elections?

The prohibition of dual citizenship in many countries has, for years, been a key reason why a large number of Kosovo citizens living abroad have opted to renounce their Kosovo citizenship. The reacquisition—or first-time acquisition—of citizenship for the diaspora is expected to become easier soon, once the Assembly adopts the new law approved by the Government five days ago. By acquiring citizenship, individuals are also entered into the voter register, which is why interlocutors of Kosovo Online assess that the adoption of the new regulation represents a continued effort by Self-Determination to court the diaspora ahead of potential early elections.

Written by: Dusica Radeka Djordjevic

According to data from the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs released last year, between 1 January and 30 November 2024, 1,291 Kosovo citizens renounced their citizenship, while from 2020 to 2024 a total of 17,752 citizens did so.

When considering the period from 2008 to 2024, the figure is significantly higher, reaching up to 57,000 people.

The draft of the new Law on Citizenship, according to Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, provides for significant facilitation for citizens, particularly for the diaspora.

The amendments relate to procedures for reacquisition, acquisition, registration, and loss of citizenship.

Citizens from the diaspora who were forced to renounce their citizenship, Sveçla stated, will be able to reacquire it through a simplified procedure: instead of the previous nine documents, a single application and one certificate confirming that the applicant has not been convicted in the country of residence will suffice. The processing deadline has also been shortened—from six months to 30 days.

This means that, if the law is adopted by the end of April, any applications submitted could be processed by the end of May—just in time for inclusion in the voter register, should early parliamentary elections, as some predict, be held in early June.

Without Documents, Even Albanians Considered Foreigners 

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic stated for Kosovo Online that the introduction of the new Law on Citizenship into parliamentary procedure is certainly a continuation of efforts to appeal to the diaspora, which is believed to be supportive of Self-Determination. However, he also points out that the timing of these amendments is linked to the beginning of the implementation of the Law on Foreigners. According to him, that law treats even ethnic Albanians as foreigners if they do not possess Kosovo-issued documents.

Gogic explains that Albanians originally from Kosovo who emigrated to another country, most often in Western Europe, were required to renounce their Kosovo citizenship in order to obtain citizenship of the country they moved to.

“These Albanians, when they come to Kosovo, are not citizens of Kosovo, and the Law on Foreigners applies to them. They are also required to register their stay after three days. This law is primarily designed to accommodate them. It has been publicly stated that the adoption of the new law is intended to simplify the procedure for reacquiring Kosovo citizenship, and that it is primarily aimed at those Albanians and, more generally, at citizens of Kosovo who have renounced their citizenship,” Gogic concludes.

The amendments to the law, as he points out, were announced as early as December, ahead of the parliamentary elections, but at that time the Assembly of Kosovo was unable to adopt it as it had been dissolved, while the government that intended to propose the law was in a caretaker mandate.

He adds that the period in April—when it is certain that the Assembly of Kosovo can operate—is now being used for the adoption of the law.

“This is, of course, absolutely linked to the expected elections and represents, in general, an effort to court the diaspora, which constitutes a very important support base for Self-Determination and Albin Kurti. In this way, some Albanians living in the diaspora will potentially be able to reacquire Kosovo citizenship through a simpler and faster procedure. By doing so, they will gain voting rights, and it is assumed that they will then vote for Self-Determination in upcoming elections. But not only them—their entire families will certainly be satisfied as well, which may translate into electoral support in future elections. This is a continuation of the policy of accommodating the Albanian diaspora pursued by Self-Determination, as it is believed that the diaspora is inclined toward this party and is, after all, credited with contributing to its historic victory in December last year,” our interlocutor emphasizes.

Enrollment in the Voter Register as the Ultimate Objective

The reason for addressing the new regulation, according to political scientist Ivan Tomic, is that conditions have now been created for people who left Kosovo to hold dual citizenship. However, he also notes that the initiative comes at a politically opportune moment for Albin Kurti, since acquiring citizenship also entails registration in the voter register.

“There is certainly a need to introduce this law now, given that we know that tens of thousands of people who left Kosovo—particularly after 2008—were forced to renounce Kosovo citizenship because they could not obtain documents in the countries where they lived. However, conditions have now changed, and those who have obtained foreign documents can now hold dual citizenship,” Tomic told Kosovo Online.

Nevertheless, he adds that the initiative is driven more by political considerations, particularly in light of Albin Kurti being in power, in terms of consolidating the electorate.

“We know that Albin Kurti has for years received significant political support from abroad, because people living abroad tend to gravitate toward nationalist themes that appeal to them and motivate them to vote for a politician in Kosovo, while paying less attention to living standards and other issues. For this very reason, Albin Kurti wants as many people from abroad as possible on the voter register, and by acquiring citizenship, one is automatically entered into the voter register. I believe that this is the ultimate objective of such an initiative, which is being introduced at a politically favorable moment for Albin Kurti, and that is precisely why he is addressing this issue now,” Tomic notes.

Analyst Artan Muhaxhiri points out that everyone understands why Albin Kurti initiated the adoption of the Law on Citizenship, which provides significant facilitation particularly for the diaspora, but he also stresses that there are many other dimensions to this issue, as the question of the diaspora is highly emotional for Kosovo.

“The issue of the diaspora is very complex and emotional for Kosovo, both historically and economically. But for Kurti, it is also a political issue, as he enjoys great popularity among the diaspora and secures an absolute majority of diaspora votes,” Muhaxhiri told Kosovo Online.

For that reason, he adds, this issue is highly complex and depends on the perspective from which it is viewed.

“It can be considered from a demographic perspective, but for the current government it is also a political matter, as it is unlikely that young people from the diaspora living in Germany or Switzerland will return to live here, given the disparity in social development. What should be done is to create appropriate conditions for diaspora investors to come to Kosovo, as that is what Kosovo needs,” the analyst emphasizes.

No Return to Kosovo

According to Gogic, the new Law on Citizenship will lead to an increase in the share of Albanians, in ethnic terms, within the overall body of Kosovo citizens, but it will not necessarily change the demographic structure within Kosovo itself.

“This is because these are people who live outside Kosovo and are unlikely to return. The register of citizens will primarily see an increase in Albanians, although not only Albanians are concerned—Gorani, Bosniaks, and other communities that leave Kosovo in significant numbers and acquire citizenship in other countries are also in this situation, subsequently renouncing Kosovo citizenship, and some of them may wish to reacquire it,” Gogic explains.

He further notes that the concrete amendments to the law, at least in aspects known to the public, do not directly concern the Serbian community. Serbs who left Kosovo, if they moved to Western European countries, generally did so on the basis of Serbian documents and were therefore not required to renounce Kosovo citizenship, if they had it at all.

In theory, he adds, the law could potentially enable some Serbs to reacquire Kosovo documents if they had previously renounced them.

In his view, however, Serbs are unlikely to pay significant attention to this law.

“It does not directly concern them, except insofar as they will be aware that it may potentially increase the share of the Albanian population within Kosovo. However, changes in the demographic structure of Kosovo do not affect the constitutional and legal guarantees granted to non-majority communities. These guarantees are enshrined in the Constitution and laws regardless of population percentages. Therefore, even if the number of Serbs in Kosovo declines, this will not call into question their guaranteed rights. Nevertheless, the position of all non-majority communities, including the Serbian community, becomes less favorable as they become more marginalized and fewer in number within the overall population,” Gogic concludes.

Tomic shares a similar view, stating that the demographic picture of Kosovo will not change simply because people from the diaspora acquire citizenship, as they will continue to live abroad.

“The essence is that they be entered into the voter register. On the other hand, this could affect the Serbian community insofar as the number of voters on the Albanian side will increase, while our percentage will continue to decline. However, fundamentally nothing will change, as the Serbian community has guaranteed seats both in parliament and in the public sector. Although these guarantees are not always respected in practice—particularly regarding representation in the public sector—the fundamental political rights guaranteed by the Ahtisaari Plan and the Constitution of Kosovo will remain unchanged,” our interlocutor assesses.

He adds that demography is extremely important for every nation and that, for this reason, Serbs should also pay attention to their demographic trends to avoid a situation in which they account for only one percent of the population in Kosovo.

For reference, the current Law on Citizenship of Kosovo was adopted by the Assembly in 2013. Under that law, a member of the Kosovo diaspora is defined as any person who has lawful and habitual residence outside Kosovo but can confirm that they were born in Kosovo and maintain close family and economic ties with it. A member of the diaspora is also considered to be any of their direct descendants who can demonstrate close family or economic ties to Kosovo.