Greeks abroad voting bill under scrutiny

Ahead of the vote on a draft bill to make it easier for Greeks living abroad to exercise their voting rights in national elections in their place of residence, the government on Wednesday reiterated it will seek the greatest possible consensus among political parties.

Addressing members of cross-party committees that began the task of fine-tuning the legislation on Wednesday, Interior Minister Takis Theodorikakos said that Greece wants to send out the “right messages” to Greeks abroad and to ensure the largest possible support when it is discussed “on Friday, Monday and at the plenum.”

Theodorikakos said the government will do its best to ensure that the bill is backed by the largest amount of votes.

The legislation requires a two-thirds majority (200 votes) to be ratified, which it is expected to garner despite a series of objections by SYRIZA and the stated intention of MeRA25 to vote against it.