Greece Working Again on Diaspora Vote Law

By Stella Tsolakidou

Minister of Interior Evripides Stylianides noted the importance of solving the national issue of granting voting rights to Greeks in the Diaspora while addressing the Hellenic Parliament’s Special Committee on Greeks Abroad the Special Committee on Oct. 25.

The Minister explained that he believes the bickering between political parties will be set aside to find a solution, although all previous efforts to find a compromise had failed.
According to Stylianides, the Ministry has already assigned a working group to process a draft law mainly focusing on the right of Greeks living abroad to vote, equality in voting rights, reliability of the procedure, administrative preparedness and a low cost for the project. Once the draft law is ready, it will put to public consultation in order for the parties to make their amendments before going to Parliament.

The Minister also underlined that the Diaspora constitutes an important Hellenic presence outside the country’s borders, which makes it imperative to pass the right to vote. Referring to articles of the Greek Constitution and a decision against Greece issued by the European Court of Human Rights, Stylianides said that only Greece and Ireland refuse their Disapora the right to vote.