How to Vote from Abroad in Future Greek Elections
After the election results of May 21st, and the clear victory of the New Democracy party, a second round of elections has been announced for the date of June 25th, 2023.
According to the simple proportional electoral system, each party receives in absolute numbers the number of seats proportional to the percentage it got in the elections and no bonus is accorded to the winning party. That is why, the formation of government was not achieved despite the large percentage of the first party thus leading to the second round.
Therefore, the expatriate Hellenism will be called to vote once again, as long as they are already registered in the special electoral lists of foreign voters.
In order to verify your competent local voting center, you may consult the Ministry Decision with number 36406/27.04.2023 that can be found at:
https://www.ypes.gr/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/kya36406-20230427ant.pdf
For those who didn’t have the chance to register in time for these elections (May 21st, 2023), expats can proceed to register for the next elections in order to ensure their participation.
The necessary conditions for registration in the special electoral lists of foreign voters are cumulatively:
- to have resided a total of two (2) years within the Greek Territory during the last thirty-five (35) years from the date of submission of the registration application,
- to have submitted a tax return in the current or previous tax year. “Tax declaration” means the submission to the Independent Public Revenue Authority of a personal income tax declaration (Form E1), a detailed declaration of income from real estate rental (Form E2), a statement of financial data from business activity (Form E3) or a declaration of real estate data ( Form E9), as each time they apply.
Dependent family members are exempt from the obligation of submitting a tax return if:
- they have not reached the age of thirty (30) and
- first-degree relatives have submitted a tax return in the current or previous tax year.
Once the Greek citizen residing outside of the Greek territory has assured that the above criteria have been met, he or she proceeds by applying via the online platform of the Greek Ministry of the Interior at apodimoi.gov.gr.
The steps as explained in the above platform are simple to follow:
Step 1: The voter enters the “apodimoi.gov.gr” application and registers the corresponding codes (taxisnet codes) of the Independent Public Revenue Authority (A.A.D.E.), in order to be certified as a user.
Step 2: The voter searches for his/her registration in the basic electoral roll and selects it, so that his basic information is automatically filled in the application.
Step 3: The voter enters his/her permanent residence address, contact telephone numbers and e-mail address. The voter chooses the country and city in which he/she wishes to exercise his/her right to vote, from the respective lists.
Step 4: The voter uploads electronic copies of the supporting documents of the conditions of paragraph 4 of article 4 of Law 4648/2019, i.e. public documents of residence of two (2) years in the Greek Territory by choosing the public issuing body.
Alternatively, the voter chooses the category of the supporting document, filling in the requested information, and authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to search for it ex officio.
Step 5: The voter confirms that the details of his/her application are true and chooses to submit it as final.
After the final submission of the application, the voter receives in his/her e-mail, proof of successful submission of the application with a protocol number.
If the application is accepted, the voter is registered in the special foreign electoral roll for a period of eight (8) years.
For any additional information or help, electors may address the competent consular authorities of the country.