Greek Parliament Approves Postal Voting for Overseas Voters, Rejects Dedicated Diaspora Constituency
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Greece will introduce postal voting for citizens living abroad from the next national election after Parliament approved key provisions of a new electoral reform bill. However, lawmakers stopped short of creating a separate parliamentary constituency for the Diaspora, as the proposal failed to secure the constitutionally required supermajority.
During a roll-call vote involving 296 MPs, articles enabling overseas voters registered on Greece’s electoral rolls to cast ballots by post gained more than 200 affirmative votes, clearing the constitutional threshold. These provisions will apply at the next general election.
By contrast, articles establishing a dedicated Diaspora constituency with three parliamentary seats fell short of the 200-vote requirement. As a result, no separate overseas electorate will be formed for the upcoming polls.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the reform as a step toward strengthening democratic participation and national unity. Addressing Parliament, he argued that Greeks living abroad should have equal voting rights regardless of their country of residence. He framed postal voting as a long-overdue reform that broadens democratic inclusion.
Mitsotakis proposed dividing overseas voters into three regional constituencies, covering Europe, the Americas, and Oceania/Asia, to enhance representation. He also highlighted broader Diaspora engagement efforts, including improved consular services and digital access to public administration.
Interior Minister Theodoros Livanios defended the postal voting framework as secure and operationally reliable. He said the reform resolves a constitutional issue dating back to 1975 and pledged further inter-party consultations on implementation details, including voter registration procedures and campaign spending limits.
Opposition leaders expressed mixed reactions. Nikos Androulakis, head of PASOK-KINAL, backed postal voting in principle but opposed what he called a premature and potentially inequitable Diaspora constituency model. He raised concerns about campaign spending caps, data protection safeguards and the fairness of large-scale overseas constituencies.
Other party leaders, including representatives from SYRIZA, the Communist Party and Greek Solution, questioned the integrity, transparency and practical implications of postal voting, with some warning that wealthy or high-profile candidates could dominate overseas races if a global constituency were introduced.
Under the final vote tally, all articles relating to postal voting surpassed the 200-vote threshold, while those establishing the Diaspora electorate received between 161 and 162 votes in favour—well below the required margin.
As a result, Greeks abroad will be able to vote by post in the next parliamentary election, but representation through a dedicated Diaspora seat will not be in place.
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