A contentious debate unfolded in parliament between Greece’s government and the primary opposition party, SYRIZA, regarding a proposed bill aiming to introduce postal voting for Greek citizens residing abroad in both European and national elections.
Greece’s Minister of Interior, Niki Kerameus presented an amendment to the postal voting bill on Monday, suggesting the expansion of postal voting rights to Greeks living abroad for both European and national elections.
According to Ekathimerini, the successful passage of the amendment necessitates the support of at least 200 out of the 300 Members of Parliament.
Sokratis Famellou, the leader of SYRIZA’s parliamentary group, raised constitutional concerns about the bill, asserting that it faced challenges in implementation, appeared outdated, and did not permit Greek emigrants to run for office.
Famellou then urged the government to endorse SYRIZA’s proposal, mirroring the Italian model, allowing expatriates to be represented in parliament.
In response, Kerameus questioned the opposition, particularly SYRIZA, led by Stefanos Kasselakis, an expatriate himself, for opposing the bill.
PASOK expressed conditional support for the bill also, indicating that it would only back the legislation if the amendment extending postal voting to overseas citizens was withdrawn, and if the postal vote was exclusively offered to voters within Greece facing impediments to casting their votes.
Source: Ekathimerini
