Diaspora voting rights can restart relationship with Greece

How does Greece see the diaspora Greeks? On the one hand, Greece is proud of her distinguished scientists, academics, professors, doctors, leaders in art etc who excel abroad. On the other hand, Greece sees them as Greeks who “escaped” from the country – “deserted” it, some would say – and do not suffer the ravages of life in Greece. Additionally, the one million or so diaspora Greeks born in Greece are not homogeneous, with significant differences in the years they have lived abroad. And, especially in the United States and Australia, there are over a million born abroad of Greek extraction.

How does Greece see the Greeks abroad? First, as investors. Greece makes significant efforts to attract investment from Greeks abroad, with limited results. Second, as tourists. Greek tourist ads are much more common in diaspora media than in other media abroad. Third, as “lobbyists,” because paradoxically Greek newspapers believe that Greeks in the United States can, almost magically, bend American foreign policy closer to Greek interests.

For many, it is obvious that these “foreigners” should have equal rights with the locals in Greece and vote in national elections from where they live. For others, this notion is weird, even unfair. However, the Greek Constitution gives the right to vote to all who have been born in Greece, and generally to the holders of Greek passports or IDs – if they make the trip to Greece. The issue of the present law is whether the Greek Parliament will facilitate the diaspora Greeks to vote where they live, outside Greece. With bravery and deep trust in democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy is proposing this change. However, small-minded MPs and parties want to deny even this small help toward Greeks abroad.

Some parties count the ballots, asking, “Will the diaspora vote for us or for the others?” Based on this logic, KKE and SYRIZA decided in the previous parliament to deny the right to vote abroad to 99% of the Greeks in the United States, imposing burdensome conditions including filing Greek tax returns. These were pretextual conditions, based on the (likely correct) fears of the leftist parties that Greeks in the United States and Australia would not vote for the party of Leonid Brezhnev or the party that gambled the future of Greece through the acrobatics of the 2015 referendum.

Many parties honorably have committed to vote in favor of the law. Other parties “are considering it” and will vote according to what they will receive in exchange for the support of New Democracy on other issues. This opportunism shows a deeply anti-democratic prejudice. In this game, Greeks abroad do not have something to offer in exchange, since they are not represented in the Parliament. They have fewer rights than the lowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome, the plebeians.

Despite this opportunism, there is still a good chance that the passage of this law will become a bright new start in the relations of Greece with the diaspora. This law will strengthen the relationship of the diaspora with the homeland. It will help to increase participation of diaspora Greeks on national issues, as they are discussed, for example, in the United States. It will also improve the participation and experience of diaspora Greeks in the public affairs of Greece. Additionally, I strongly believe that voting by mail is the best method for voting of Greeks abroad, and I hope this will be incorporated into the law and instituted soon.

Leaving aside the small Greek American organizations, Greece needs to hire professional lobbyists, not Greeks, and not Greek Americans

In addition to this law, there are several steps that the Greek Foreign Ministry should take to create closer relations with Greeks abroad, particularly with those in the United States. We all know that the final decisions in the relationship of Athens with Ankara will be taken in Washington, DC. Greek Americans could play a key role helping Greece, but the following steps are necessary. First, the Foreign Ministry needs to reach out toward and have dialogue with Greeks abroad in their countries of residence. That is, Greek consulates need to know the Greeks of their districts. At the very least the consulates should have their email addresses, and discuss with them national issues as well as cultural issues. It is unacceptable that Greek consulates have less than 5% of the email addresses of the diaspora Greeks in their area.

Second, the Foreign Ministry needs to overcome its long-run silence. It needs to speak openly, with courage and conviction, on the national Greek positions – in Greece, in the United States, in the whole world, and especially with the diaspora. Positions favorable to Greece rarely appear in American newspapers and news magazines because the Greek Foreign Ministry has not put sufficient effort into this. Leaving aside the small Greek-American organizations, Greece needs to hire professional lobbyists, not Greeks, and not Greek Americans. And this professional lobby should try to influence all, both Republicans and Democrats, both Congress and the White House. Turkey spends over $100 million per year in lobbying; we spend practically nothing.

Third, our small Greek-American organizations have had big successes because of their heroic efforts. But they need to become much larger, hopefully as large as the Jewish organizations in the USA. Even when you are absolutely correct in your positions, the political system in the United States will still count the number of voters you influence and the amount of money you can donate to candidates, so size matters significantly.

Fourth, all these actions must start now, but no one should expect immediate results. This needs to be a long-run and continual investment of Greece toward the diaspora, but also toward the United States and the world. The rewards are obvious.

May the law guaranteeing full voting rights to Greeks abroad be a good start for a new era in the relationship between Greece and the diaspora!

Nicholas Economides is a professor at the Stern School of Business, New York University.