Right to vote, duty to serve

Pres. Petr Pavel signed the law for allowing mail-in balloting from abroad, and it will be used for the first time in next year's parliamentary elections. ANO and SPD opposed the legislation, clearly in part because Czechs abroad are more likely to vote for the ruling coalition. There's another aspect, as we noted in January. Voter registration abroad will provide useful information on some of the estimated 300,000-500,000 Czechs who are living outside the country but whose whereabouts aren't known by their government. If a military draft were imposed, the defense ministry would have an easier time sending out conscription notices to these Czechs, and the foreign ministry would know whose passports shouldn't be renewed for failing to take the proper action. The plight of thousands of Ukrainian draft dodgers in the CR shows what this can mean. In this respect, voter registration by Czechs abroad can also be seen as a test of their willingness to serve their country if and when the time comes.