ATHENS – GNUSA
Interior Minister Thodoris Livanios on January 26 outlined the Greek government’s legislative proposal introducing postal voting for Greeks living abroad in parliamentary elections, along with the creation of a new three‑seat electoral district representing the Greek diaspora. The presentation was delivered during the first Cabinet meeting of the year.
Livanios has already invited all parliamentary parties to join an informal cross‑party committee to discuss the initiative. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 29.
According to the minister, the procedure for voters wishing to cast a postal ballot will follow the same model used in the 2024 European elections. Applications will be submitted electronically up to the day after the elections are formally announced. A few days after candidate lists are finalized, voters will receive their voting packets, which they must complete and return—free of charge—to the Postal Vote Sorting Center no later than the eve of the election.
The ministry stresses that postal voting does not alter the composition of the electorate. The option is available only to registered voters who will be abroad on election day. Voters residing in Greece cannot apply for postal voting in parliamentary elections, though they may do so in European elections and national referendums.
The Interior Ministry described the reform as “symbolic,” noting that it comes exactly two years after the successful introduction of postal voting in the European elections. “It will further facilitate the participation of Greek voters living abroad in national elections. Likewise, the creation of a three‑seat diaspora constituency will allow these voters to choose their own representatives in Parliament,” the ministry said.
Accordingly, the nationwide state deputy seats will go back to being 12, as was the case from 1974 to 2019.
In the 2023 national elections, 18,203 voters cast ballots at physical polling stations set up abroad, under the restrictions of Law 4648/2019, which required two years of residence in Greece within the previous 20 years. These restrictions were lifted in 2023. The government’s aim now is to allow voters to exercise their rights from their place of residence, without needing to travel to polling stations—even in another country, as occurred in some cases previously.
