Mitsotakis-Tsipras disagreement regarding the vote right for Greeks abroad
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Alexis Tsipras confirmed their disagreement regarding their proposals for the vote of expatriate Greeks. The prime minister today will hold meetings in his office in parliament with political leaders to discuss the possibility of Greeks living abroad to vote from their place of residence.
The Government’s take, as outlined by top officials, is for the right to vote to be given to expatriates who are on the electoral roll and those who can obtain citizenship. Their vote will count towards the overall result – Mitsotakis’ “red line” – while the possibility of a postal voting is open. SYRIZA tabled a proposal to elect representatives of Greeks abroad in designated polling stations, without counting the vote in the overall election result, following the standards of large states with expatriate populations.
Tsipras puts his foot down against cheap political games on the backs of the expatriates
“It should not be attempted to bring homogeneity into games of cheap political interest, with the hidden and deceptive purpose of undermining any political affiliation within the country”, the SYRIZA president following the meeting.
Al. Tsipras presented to Mr. Mitsotakis SYRIZA’s proposal as formulated on the basis of the report of the scientific committee of the Ministry of Interior in February 2018. This comprises a proposal that allows voting from the place of residence for those who can acquire Greek citizenship and are registered in electoral lists.
SYRIZA prefers the election of three to twelve Members of Parliament, depending on the number of foreign electoral registrations. As the official opposition points out, this ensures the creative inclusion of the Greeks of the diaspora in the political affairs of the country, without altering the electorate and the political affiliations within the country.
“We do want the vote and the election of their representatives. However, he will have to go through us pass any proposals that try to turn the Greeks abroad into a means for electioneering or to split the expatriate associations, depending on the party they support”, Al. Tsipras added, calling for K. Mitsotakis to change course in order for them to reach an agreement.
Government-KINAL convergence and the KKE factor
On the contrary, KINAL President F. Gennimata confirmed her agreement on the main points of the government’s proposals. The Parliament’s approval of the proposal requires at least 200 votes, a number that can only be achieved if KKE agrees to come on board. The Communist Party sets the conditions of maintaining economic ties with Greece, the absence from Greece to be less than 30 years, and for the vote to be in-person.
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