Diaspora vote right bill sent to parties

A draft bill aimed at granting Greeks living abroad full voting rights was on Friday sent to political parties with the aim of a vote being held in Parliament by the end of the month.

Leftist SYRIZA has expressed reservations about the legislation – as has the Communist Party to a lesser extent – while indicating that some amendments should resolve the problem.

Following a tense session, a cross-party committee discussing planned constitutional reform approved changes including the restriction of parliamentary immunity for ministers and the separation of the president’s election from the dissolution of Parliament.

Proposals by SYRIZA including changing the electoral system to simple proportional representation were rejected.