The right to vote for their home country has long been a demand of Greek expatriates. However, a recent infographic published by ekathimerini.com, suggests that Greeks in Australia have not taken up this right as yet.
According to the infographic, only about 40 Greeks in Australia have applied to vote in Greece’s upcoming election. This is compared to other countries such as the United Kingdom where 717 Greeks have applied to vote, 300 Greeks in Germany and 220 in Switzerland.
Figures by Greece’s Interior Ministry also show that so far only 3,900 people have received approval to vote through the government’s apodimoi.gov.gr platform. Total applications do not exceed 5,200 Greeks.
This comes as although the exact number of Greeks who have left Greece in the last few years is not officially known, it is estimated at between 250,000 to 500,000 Greeks.
In December 2019, legislation was passed in the Greek Parliament which made it possible for this Greek diaspora to vote, however, there are strict criteria.
To be able to vote from afar, someone must have lived in Greece for at least two years in the last 35 and have submitted a tax return in Greece in the last two years.
In January, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the next national elections will take place in spring this year. The platform for voting will close 12 days before the elections are officially called. As a result, many Greeks in Australia and other countries, need to submit their application soon.
How to vote from Australia:
The process of registration in the relevant electoral rolls is simple.
To be able to vote from afar, someone must have lived in Greece for at least two years in the last 35 and have submitted a tax return form E1 or E2 or E3, or E9 in Greece in the last two years. Those have the right to be registered in the electoral rolls even if the declaration is nil.
In order to certify that someone has lived in Greece for two years in the last 35 years, specific public documents are required as evidence:
• Certificate of attendance from a primary, secondary, post-secondary, technical, or vocational school or from a higher education institution.
• Certificate of payment of national insurance contributions (stamps).
• Certificate of completion of military service for as long as it lasts.
However, Greek men and women who live or study abroad and are under 30 years old can be registered in the relevant electoral rolls without having submitted a tax return, provided that a first-degree relative has submitted one during the current or previous tax year.
In order to be able to register, the voter must first register and log in to the apodimoi.gov.gr application.
To be able to use the application, the voter must first register as a user and fill in the email address, through which they will receive an application they need to submit.
Source: ekathimerini.com, Grland
