With the announcement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the deadline for submitting candidates for participation in the parliamentary elections of May 21, 2023 is extended until 16:00 on April 30.

The extension applies only to those applicants who activated the procedure by the deadline, but it was not possible to complete it for technical reasons, and it remains under consideration.

Greeks Abroad

In these elections, for the first time, Greeks abroad who meet the conditions established by law have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in their place of residence. 22,816 foreigners whose applications have been approved will vote on Saturday, May 20, at 99 polling stations established in 35 countries around the world. These are Egypt (Cairo), Australia (Melbourne, Sydney), Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), Belgium (Brussels, Antwerp), Bulgaria (Sofia), France (Paris, Strasbourg, Nice, Nantes), Germany (Hamburg, Berlin, Munich , Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Dresden, Hannover, Nuremberg, Aachen, Wuppertal, Cologne, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Ludwigshafen), Denmark (Copenhagen), Switzerland, (Bern, Geneva, Lausanne), United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), UK (London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh) USA (St. Francis, Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Chicago, Tampa), Ireland (Dublin), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Italy (Rome, Milan, Venice), Canada (Montreal, Toronto), Qatar (Doha), Korea (Seoul), Cyprus (Nicosia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos), Lithuania (Vilnius, Kaunas), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Malta ( Valletta) ), Norway (Oslo), South Africa (Johannesburg), Netherlands (The Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven), Poland (Warsaw), Portugal (Lisbon), Romania (Bucharest), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Singapore (Singapore), Sweden (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö), Turkey (Istanbul), Czech Republic (Prague) and Finland (Helsinki).

The UK has the highest number of approved applications (4,556), followed by Germany (3,226), the US (1,617), Belgium (1,607) and Cyprus (1,432).

96% of foreign voters will exercise their right to vote in their country of permanent residence, and the rest (4%) will be forced to move to another, as the required number of 50 voters to create a polling station has not been recruited. . This event caused dissatisfaction mainly among the inhabitants of Northern Epirote, who will have to move to a country located farther from Greece, namely Bulgaria, to vote.

Uniform – sailors

Registration on special electoral rolls is also required in the case of military personnel serving in the armed forces or the Coast Guard – Hellenic Coast Guard, as well as the personnel of the Hellenic Police and Fire Department, in order to vote in parliamentary elections for the place where they serve, if it is different on whose lists of voters they are registered. In this case, they are required to declare to their office the municipality in which they are registered, in order to be included in the applications sent to the competent Deputy Governor.

Similarly, sailors serving on a Greek-flagged ship that is in a Greek port on election day are registered on special electoral rolls for voting in the municipality where the ship is located.

Also, Greek citizens who are imprisoned and not disenfranchised vote in the electoral department of the store where they are held, on the basis of special electoral lists in which they are registered for this purpose.

Sections for the disabled

Through these elections, people with disabilities will be able to exercise their right to vote with less inconvenience. The provision of the latest bill, passed before the closing of parliament, provides for the operation of a reception and support zone for voters with disabilities and limited mobility in each polling station.

The court representative traveling there is informed about the arrival of the voter at the venue, providing him with all the ballots and the necessary case. If necessary, the voter goes to the screen together with his companion, if he has one, as well as with the legal representative. After the voter leaves the voting booth, the legal representative takes the envelope with the ballot paper chosen by the voter, delivers it to the appropriate polling station and puts it into the ballot box.

Entrance to the polling station and the reception area is allowed along with a service dog (guide dog) for people with disabilities.