Unlike the United States, Switzerland
and most other developed countries in the world, among
which most of the Member
States of the EU including France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and,
Spain, the United Kingdom strips its citizens of the
right to vote in Parliamentary elections for
the mere fact of having resided
abroad for more than 15 years.
Exceptions exist for the military,
civil servants and British Council employees. But all other
British expats, including English teachers at schools other than the British Council, lose the
right to vote after 15 years abroad. Apart from expats, the only other British
citizens who do
not enjoy the right to vote are children, individuals who
suffer from mental illnesses such
that they are confined within mental institutions, and criminals whilst imprisoned.
