Greece’s Deputy Interior Minister: ‘We are optimistic the diaspora voting bill will pass’

·

By Ilias Karagiannis.

Greece’s Deputy Interior Minister, Theodoros Livanios, is the driving force behind the new draft bill for the Greek diaspora vote, which was put to public consultation on Monday.

The aim of the bill is to remove the restrictions for Greeks abroad who are registered in the electoral rolls and wish to vote in Greece’s national elections from their place of residence.

Mr Livanios worked in collaboration with the new Minister of the Interior Niki Kerameus to make the proposed bill possible.

Greece’s Deputy Interior Minister.

In an exclusive statement to The Greek Herald, Mr Livanios expressed his optimism for the approval of the bill, while revealing his feelings around how some Greeks in Australia travelled thousands of kilometres to exercise their right to vote.

“In 2019, with Law 4648, we gave for the first time the possibility to Greeks living outside the country to exercise their right to vote wherever they are,” Mr Livanios said in his exclusive statement.

“Thanks to this first but important step, we saw in the recent elections our fellow citizens on all continents participating, at last, in the highest expression of our democratic polity, travelling with a smile even thousands of kilometres, as in Australia, to reach Melbourne or Sydney. It was a particularly moving moment.

Working with Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“Now is the time to take the next step. Let’s make this process easier for everyone. With the draft law, which is already under public consultation, we are putting an end to the criteria that hindered the voting of Greek citizens outside the country.

“We had already committed to doing this in 2019, when the parliamentary conditions allowed it. We are optimistic that we will succeed.

“The goal is to now enable all those who are registered in the electoral rolls, without restrictions, to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right. For all Greeks to come closer to us, wherever they live.”

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Channel Nine and reporter Josh Bavas hit back after Bob Katter MP outburst

Channel Nine has condemned federal MP Bob Katter’s behaviour after a fiery press conference where he threatened journalist Josh Bavas.

Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza denies IDF evacuation order

Reports of an evacuation order for the Greek Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius in Gaza City have sparked confusion,

Historic night for Greek football as Panathinaikos, PAOK and AEK qualify for Europe

Panathinaikos, PAOK and AEK Athens all secured their places in the League Phase of European competition. Read more here.

Champions League 2025: Olympiacos braced for demanding League Phase

Olympiacos face a daunting challenge in this season’s UEFA Champions League after being drawn against some of Europe’s elite clubs.

Maria Sakkari storms into US Open third round with dominant win

Maria Sakkari has advanced to the third round of the US Open after an impressive straight-sets victory over Hungary’s Ana Bondar, 6–3, 6–1.

You May Also Like

Unapproved third runway for Melbourne airport could impact Federal Labor in elections

The Melbourne's pending third runway to mitigate the issue of aircraft noise is placing political pressure on the Labor party.

On This Day in 1911, Greece’s flagship armoured cruiser Georgios Averof was delivered to Greece

On this day in May 1911, the historic Italian-built Georgios Averoff cruiser arrives in Greece six years ahead of WWI.

Greece’s National Boxing Team bags four medals at European Championships

Greece's National Boxing Team returned from Croatia on Monday with four medals after participating in the European Championship.