Political Violence and the Approval of Emigrant Political Rights in Colombia (1970-1991)

This conference will analyze why Colombia was the first country in the region to approve extraterritorial voting, dual citizenship, and the political representation of Colombians residing abroad. Using archival data, the author shows how the political violence directed towards minorities and opposition in the 1970s and 1980s generated a flow of forced and hidden migration. As the organized political violence turned to state institutions, the Colombian regime entered a profound crisis of legitimacy. In response, the government introduced a plebiscite and called for a Constitutional Assembly. The M-19 political party — former guerrilla and now a political party-incorporated fundamental rights for Colombians abroad, which were later approved by the Assembly’s plenary. Since 1990, politically mobilized Colombians have continued to participate in home politics supporting different episodes of mobilization, such as the April 28, 2021, national strike.

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