With a majority of 288 MPs, which is a parliamentary record, the House approved the government’s bill to vote for diaspora Greeks, restoring a historic commitment that had been pending for 44 years.

There are four key points of convergence that made this broad consensus possible:

1. The vote of Greeks abroad shall be equal to that of residents of Greece.
2. Voters abroad will vote for the State Ballot, which increases its seats from 12 to 15 candidates.
3. A personal presence is required at the points where ballot boxes will be placed.
4. The Greeks who have stayed in our country for at least two years and have tax obligations will be eligible vote.

Indicative of the historical significance of the bill, is also the fact that during the debate in the plenary session of the House of Representatives all political leaders stated their positions.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out, among other things, that “44 years had to pass for the article of the 1975 Constitution regarding the vote of diaspora Greeks to be voted and I am proud of the new ND government and the great inter-party consensus”.

For his part, Alexis Tsipras argued that the foundation stone for enabling Greeks abroad to vote from their place of residence, came from his own government.

The president of the Movement for Change (KINAL) Fofi Gennimata said that “despite our objections and reservations, we are giving our positive vote because it is the first step in the direction we want” while KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoubas made clear that Perissos’ positive attitude is not congruent regarding the responsibilities of ND, SYRIZA and KINAL.

Source: int.ert.gr

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