Searching for votes beyond Greek shores
Given the data so far, the government’s aim with the bill it introduced in April 2021 to convince Greeks of the diaspora to vote in the national election has not borne fruit.
Kathimerini understands that, to date, just 3,800 expatriate Greeks around the world have gone through the process of filing the necessary paperwork to obtain the right to vote in national elections.
The main reason for this is that the government’s bill introduces so many obstacles and procedural difficulties from the outset that it acts as a deterrent to those who would be interested in obtaining the right to vote in national elections from their place of residence.
In view of these difficulties, ruling New Democracy has of late launched a concerted effort to get a higher percentage of diaspora Greeks registered on the relevant list.
To this end, a teleconference took place at the party’s headquarters with the heads of the local organizations of New Democracy per country – in some cases there is more than one organization per country).
The meeting was attended by the heads of New Democracy in Cyprus, Great Britain, Germany and Belgium. ND also has organizations in various cities in the United States, Australia, Sweden, France, Sweden and Bulgaria.
There are reportedly two types of Greeks overseas. The first category includes older people who have lived abroad for many years. These are the people who, despite the obstacles, are said to make up the majority of the 3,800 people who have registered. They frequently have the strongest attachment to the homeland.
The second group consists of younger people who left Greece during the financial crisis. These people tend to be less interested in politics, but they might cast a ballot if they were traveling to Greece to visit family while also taking a short vacation, like the Easter weekend.
