Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented his plan for the creation of a new electoral district for diaspora Greeks.
Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Monday, Mitsotakis described the move as a “very important step of democracy and modernization.”
Under the PM’s proposal, registered voters residing permanently outside Greece would be able not only to select a party, but also to elect a specific lawmaker.
The government, he said, is ready to incorporate the positive experience from the European elections “so that we can take the next step.”
The plan calls for a special three-seat constituency for the Greek diaspora. To preserve proportionality, seats elected from the nationwide party list would be reduced from 15 to 12, leaving all other electoral districts unchanged.
Mitsotakis announced the start of consultations with political parties, expressing confidence that the 200 lawmakers required by the Constitution could be secured.
At the same time, the Prime Minister reassured that the threshold for entering Parliament will remain at 3%, signaling the country’s election rules will not change as it moves toward elections amid international instability.
He has recently said that the next parliamentary elections will be held in spring 2027.
PS First reactions on social media have been negative, with the majority of users wondering: why should a Greek living abroad several years will have a say about who rules over those who stayed behind.
On the other hand, half a million Greeks migrated since the years of the financial crisis and keep on doing so as especially young Greeks see “no future” in their own country.
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People are being very foolish if they think that there are no political consequences for granting expatriate voting without limits. Every country that has done so has experienced overwhelming support for right-wing political parties by its diaspora. This is explained by the logical of human psychology: those living away from their homeland tend to feel some nostalgia, and the need to show that they are real nationalists. If they are not living in the country and not paying taxes there, then they should not be given the vote.
NO REPRESENTATION WITHOUT TAXATION! (I know I have inverted it :-))
I have lived in Greece for more than 20 years and have no vote in any general election anywhere as the UK stips your voting rights away after 15 years out of the country and Greece does not allow me to vote save for local elections and referenda. I have effectively been stripped of a basic human right in democratic states