Greeks abroad show low interest in casting ballot
Voting from where they live has been a decades-long demand of Greek expatriates.
The relevant legislation passed in December 2019 that finally presents this possibility limits the scope of beneficiaries to those who have emigrated relatively recently.
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.
Few have so far made use of the right given to them by law. Interior Ministry figures show only 3,900 have received approval through the relevant platform, while the number of applications submitted does not exceed 5,200 – even though there may be more Greeks living and working in other countries than ever before.
The exact number of those who have left recently is not officially known – estimates range from 250,000 to 500,000.
