More than 200,000 Greeks from all over the world chose to exercise their right to vote, through a postal vote, in the European elections of June 9, according to the final data of the platform of the Ministry of the Interior.

The registration process is complete at midnight on Holy Monday with the exact number of registrants being 202,556, as within 70 days of its launch, the platform registered 153,322 registration requests from residents of the territory and 49,234 from Greeks abroad. It is worth noting that the number of registered Greeks abroad registered an increase of 280% compared to the 17,365 expatriates who voted in the national elections of June 2023.

In total, the voters who will vote by mail in the European elections they come from 128 different countries. The vast majority of them, as expected, are Greeks living in European countries, while they have been registered from 93 different countries that did not have a polling station in June’s national elections, such as Papua New Guinea, Kazakhstan, El Salvador, Ecuador, Djibouti, Uganda, Congo, Cambodia, Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam.

The countries that registered the largest number of records were Germany with 9,578 registrants, the United Kingdom with 9,090, the USA with 3,857, Belgium with 3,491, the Netherlands with 3,119 and Cyprus with 2,808.

The institution of postal voting was legislated on January 24, giving, for the first time in the country’s history, the possibility to all Greek voters, regardless of their place of residence, to participate in the upcoming European elections, while satisfying a constant request of the Diaspora.

The relevant platform was put into operation on February 19 and two months later, on April 19, the number of registrants had exceeded 100,000, while yesterday, the deadline for registration, registrants exceeded 200,000. In just 10 days there was a rapid increase in the registration rate which exceeded 100%.

At the same time, on the part of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Digital Governance, additional information resources were foreseen in order for the platform to be able to cope successfully with the great pressure it received due to the simultaneous submission of applications.

Within May, voters will receive their mail-in ballot envelopes – with the cost to be borne exclusively by the Greek State – which should be returned completed to the pre-filled address and arrive at the sorting centers by 17.00 on June 8, the eve of the European elections.

The entire previous period the Minister of the Interior Niki Kerameos carried out an information campaign in 18 different cities in Europe, Great Britain, the USA and Canada, in order to inform the Greeks who live there about the postal vote, while in cities in Australia and Germany the deputy minister Theodoris Livanios conveyed the message .

“At the Ministry of the Interior we are particularly moved by the response of the Greeks to the postal vote. It is a deeply democratic process, which enables all Greek citizens, wherever they are, without spending time or money, to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. The postal vote is a “bridge” that reduces the physical distance, removes the practical obstacles and ensures the seamless participation of all Greek citizens, inside and outside Greece, in the electoral process”, Mrs. Kerameos told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

“The establishment of postal voting in our country is a historic milestone, which facilitates voters inside and outside Greece to exercise their right to vote with ease and security. Over 200,000 voters applied to the online platform, making use of the possibility of postal voting. The participation of citizens in the elections strengthens democracy and strengthens the voice of Greece in the European decision-making centers” said Mr. Livanios for his part.