Written question asked by Baroness Whitaker (Labour) on Thursday, 11 February 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 February 2021. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Thursday, 25 February 2021 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Kosovo: Roma

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Kosovo about permitting to Kosovan Roma who were forced to leave Kosovo as a result of war the right to vote in the forthcoming elections in that country.

Answer: In the run up to the recent elections, we publicly and privately encouraged the electoral authorities in Kosovo to ensure all eligible overseas voters in Kosovo were able to do so, regardless of ethnicity. These snap elections had a shorter preparatory period than normal, putting pressure on the Central Election Commission and creating risks that not all ballots cast overseas would arrive on time. The process of verifying and counting the votes from overseas is now underway.

Secondary information