The election process was carried out smoothly and well organized by the representatives of the Greek authorities in Germany. May 20, 2023 was in any case a historic and emotional day for the Greek diaspora, which for the first time obtains the right to vote abroad – despite the obstacles, bitterness and disappointment of many Greeks in Germany who wanted to vote and could not because did not meet the requirements of the new law.

High turnout, but few registered voters in Germany’s special electoral rolls. This is how we could schematically describe the outcome of the Greek election process on German soil.

Of the half a million Greeks in Germany, approximately 3,200 were registered in the electoral rolls, while in Berlin, with approximately 25,000 Greeks, only 679. Despite this, participation was extremely high. According to the Embassy of Greece in Berlin, it moved to 83%, while very high percentages are also recorded in the remaining 17 electoral centers in Germany. In simple words, those who managed to register in the special electoral rolls, came to the ballot box.

Mostly young people who came to Germany in the last 10-15 years voted

Who voted: Mainly young voters born in the 80s and 90s, who have come to Germany in the last 10-15 years and want to influence the political developments in Greece with their vote. Many of them do not reject, as they told DW, the possibility of a future return to Greece.

Who did not vote: the older, older generation of immigrants who do not meet the requirement of two years of residence in Greece in the last 35 years but also many Greeks with dual (German and Greek) citizenship, who choose to vote only in Germany. There are also many who could vote but consciously abstained for political or personal reasons, as well as those – fewer now – who traditionally choose the descent to Greece by combining the exercise of the right to vote with short vacations.

Participation in the Greek elections is a significant success for all those who for years claimed from abroad the legislative establishment of the right to vote for expatriates.