The amendment tabled yesterday by the government to extend postal voting to national elections for voters abroad continues to “triggers” the parliamentary “confrontation” and today, the second day of discussion of the draft law of the Ministry of the Interior “Election of MEPs, facilitation of voters through postal voting, clearing of electoral rolls and other provisions of the Ministry of the Interior”.

The interest of today’s meeting is focused on the interventions of the political leaders and the clarification of the parties’ attitude towards the principle of the bill. This is because, SYRIZA PS and PASOK-KINAL, which had declared “yes” on the principle of the bill for postal voting in the European elections, after yesterday’s submission of the amendment accuse the government of having “torpedoed” the climate of consensus that had formed and that they will reconsider their position. The coalition itself, as recorded by the MPs’ interventions so far, calls on SYRIZA PS and PASOK-KINAL to answer whether they consider the European elections to be less important than the national elections for the right to vote of the Greek diaspora. He also calls on them to answer why, after saying “yes” to the introduction of postal voting in the European elections, they should not say “yes” to its extension to national elections. In this climate, the government will insist on calling on the opposition parties to support the postal vote because it is a matter of deepening democracy and, in this sense, a historical, moral and patriotic debt towards Hellenism in the diaspora.

New Democracy MP Dionysios Aktypis said that the parity of the vote was a constant and timeless demand of the diaspora. Today, with the introduction of postal voting, the constitutional principle of universality of voting is guaranteed. Referring to the amendment for the extension of postal voting in the national elections, Mr. Aktypis said that it is a historic and patriotic duty of the political forces to vote in favor of it because the expatriate Greeks are a leading capital for the country. With the removal of obstacles and the facilitation of the vote of expatriates, with the postal vote, the most essential step is taken to connect the diaspora Hellenism with the homeland, said the ND deputy. We must listen to the Hellenism of the diaspora and take a huge step for everyone’s participation in the electoral process, said Mr. Aktypis.

ND MP Apostolos Vesyropoulos said that it is a historic duty of the Parliament to establish the postal vote for the Greeks of the diaspora in both the European elections and the national elections. The MP underlined that the government’s bill ensures all guarantees for the electoral process.

ND MP Makarios Lazaridis described the introduction of postal voting as an emblematic reform, a brave institutional intervention that should have taken place much earlier. This system, which will be implemented in principle in the European elections, makes the voice of the society stronger, said Mr. Lazaridis and added that the postal vote upgrades political life because it enables those who already have the right to vote to facilitate the their participation in the electoral process. Especially for the Greeks abroad, the ND MP pointed out that the representatives of the expatriates who were invited to the hearing of institutions asked for the postal vote to be extended to the national elections as well because every vote is a bridge that brings the diaspora closer to the homeland.

SYRIZA MP Giorgos Gavrilos accused the government of bad legislative practice. “You arrogantly approach the 41% that the Greek people gave you. But the Greek people did not give you a blank check” said Mr. Gavrilos referring to the amendment submitted by the government for the extension of the postal vote in the national elections for the Greeks of the diaspora. “You were looking for consensus. And you come to the plenary session and dynamize the intention of consensus shown by the two largest opposition parties” said the SYRIZA PS MP who even emphasized that we are living parliamentary and political paradoxes for the parliamentary life of the country, since Mr. Mitsotakis pretends to be a reformer, he asks the consent of the opposition but leaves its MPs free to abstain from voting on important issues, such as the issue of same-sex marriage.

“The Amendment by Minister Mr. Kerameos on a leading issue concerning a major change in the context of the parliamentary elections is a cheap trick that proves, among other things, how the ND perceives consensus in the political system” said, in her statement, Head of Internal Affairs of SYRIZA PS Giota Poulos and added that the universal and intense reaction of the parties to the attempt to trap and manipulate them was expected, because any change in this framework requires a different treatment, with a broad consensus (increased majority of 200 votes) since it refers to another electoral process, with many constituencies and many candidates. “With our responsible attitude in the detailed processing of the postal voting bill, which was expressed with proposals and amendments, we deconstructed the alleged sovereignty and “exclusivity” of the New Democracy in representing the rights of expatriates. Thus, he resorted to an unacceptable diversion for parliamentary data, in order to reclaim the lead. But her propaganda will not pass!” Yota Poulos emphasized.

PASOK-KINAL Member of Parliament Milena Apostolaki called yesterday’s amendment an adventurous attempt to distract, which, she pointed out, occurred at a time when the government has many open fronts. But these manipulations, said the MP, make the government unable to ensure the necessary consents. PASOK-KINAL has passed provisions for expatriate voting with institutional responsibility, although it has highlighted issues arising from the way the government introduced them. The postal vote must be included in the possibilities for exercising the right to vote, but as a convenience, said Ms. Apostolaki.

KKE Member of Parliament Kostas Metaxas stated that nowhere, where postal voting was implemented, abstention did not decrease. On the contrary, it also revealed cases of irregularities and tampering in the elections. In this case, Mr. Metaxas accused the government of assigning, with the bill, the duties of judicial representative to the private courier companies. He warned of the intensity of blackmail and pressure on voters mainly from the employer environment, and of a strategy to remove citizens from politics.

Hellenic Solution MP Stelios Fotopoulos stated that there are no guarantees to ensure the secrecy of the vote, especially with the involvement of private courier companies. He also said that the bill violates the principle of simultaneous elections since the voter will vote from his home, several days before the elections. Referring to the redistribution of seats and yesterday’s amendment for the extension of postal voting and national elections, the Hellenic Solution MP accused the government of seeing the state as loot and of attempting to grab a seat from the Hellenic Solution.