Deal to forestall voting mayhem
In a last-minute bid to minimize the chaos expected during next Sunday’s municipal and local elections due to mistakes in the electoral rolls, Greece’s political parties agreed yesterday to pass an emergency act allowing voters to register on the day of the ballot. Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis expressed his gratitude to the opposition New Democracy and DIKKI parties for their decision to back a legislative act that will permit an estimated potential 200,000 victims of the new voting system to vote where they always had. Until now, voting had been carried out according to the Interior Ministry’s electoral rolls. These will be replaced in the October 13 elections by municipal lists, many of which contain mistaken address entries that would have people voting far from where they live. The act, to be signed by President Costis Stephanopoulos, will let voters register at their local voting centers on the day of the polls, provided they have a certificate from the local municipality vouching that they are registered there. These will be issued throughout the week, and until 7 p.m. on voting day.
