‘A historic day’: Greeks in Australia go to the polls first

·

For the first time in Greece’s history, the Greek diaspora were able to participate in the national elections from their place of residence on Saturday.

The momentous occasion fulfilled a long-standing demand of Greeks living abroad, allowing them to participate in the electoral process without having to return to Greece.

According to Greece’s Interior Ministry, almost 23,000 diaspora from across the world registered to vote, with most coming from the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Belgium and Cyprus. In Australia, there were only around 162 registered Greeks.

Greek diaspora voting in Chicago.

The voting polls for the diaspora opened on Saturday, May 20 – one day prior to Greece’s national elections on May 21. The diaspora voting started first in the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

Data released by Greece’s Interior Ministry suggested that out of a total of 22,857 registered diaspora voters, 18,203 voted and 4,654 abstained. Therefore, the participation rate was 79.6%.

Their ballots will now be sent back in sealed bags by planes and the votes will be sorted on arrival.

The results will be added to initial election results which show Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative New Democracy party winning a landslide election victory, but without enough parliamentary seats to form government.

Source: Ekathimerini and Euronews.

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

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

Advertisement

Latest News

Greece said ‘no’ to Italians in WWII, but answered to a Roman name

On OXI Day, The Greek Herald reflects on how one word - “No” - continues to shape identity, language and belonging.

How Vietnam veteran Steve Kyritsis made it his work to honour forgotten WWII soldiers

For Vietnam veteran Steve Kyritsis OAM, what began as a request from the Greek Consulate 14 years ago has become a lifelong mission.

St Demetrios Greek Orthodox church at St Marys hosts first-ever Paniyiri

People flocked to St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church at St Marys on Sunday to celebrate the feast day of the parish’s patron saint.

Kezilas family donates historic baptism record to Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane has received the first recorded Baptism Certificate issued in Australia, dating back to 1924.

Bishop Elpidios joins interfaith gathering at WA Parliament

His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Perth attended a special interfaith morning tea held at the Western Australian Parliament on Monday, 20 October.

You May Also Like

Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev win the Hessian Peace Prize 2020

Former Greek PM, Alexis Tsipras, and the PM of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, have been awarded the Hessian Peace Prize 2020.

Federal Budget 2020 reveals Australia headed to record debt of almost $1 trillion

Federal Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has delivered the budget speech on the floor of the House of Representatives tonight.

Leonidas Varagiannis arrested and charged for operating global child exploitation network

Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, a US citizen living in Thessaloniki and known online as “War,” has been arrested in Greece.