Debate to start on easing vote for Greeks abroad

A bill that will make it easier for Greeks abroad to vote in national elections will be debated in a parliamentary committee starting Thursday, with the aim of it being voted on by MPs by the end of next week.

The current legislation poses a series of limitations to the ability of Greeks residing abroad to vote, because several opposition parties, including the main opposition SYRIZA, had objected to a looser set of rules.

The three parties that had favored the legislation, ruling New Democracy, socialist PASOK and the hard-right/populist Greek Solution have 202 MPs in the current parliament, just over the 200-MP threshold (two thirds of the total) required to apply the legislation during the next general election.

With PASOK having expressed some objections lately, the government wants to apply some political pressure on them to be consistent with their previous vote.