In between study guides for Panhellenic exams, outings with friends who are dwindling but thankfully social media, reading and the stress of growing up, this year’s 2nd Lyceum students will face the challenge of the ballot. box as they will be asked to vote. Many of them are under the age of 17, but by law, anyone born in 2006 can vote in these parliamentary elections. Teenagers today, they were less than 10 years old during the memos and the financial crisis. He was only 9 years old when the banks closed.

About 430,000 people between the ages of 17 and 21 will vote in this election for the first time, of which about 90,000-100,000 are still in school, and some have not yet blown out their 17 candles. Only Austria among EU countries. introduced the right to vote for children who turned 16 years old. In the 17 to 21 age group, one can find the largest percentage of undecided votes in Greece, while it is estimated that a significant percentage, which could exceed 40%, will not even vote. However, the parameters of the pandemic and the self-isolation regime will play a decisive role in how the new generation behaves in the elections, political scientists believe.

We tracked down the five youngest voters on May 21 and spoke with them about their participation in the electoral process.

They are happy to vote. Finally, they can speak their mind and make it count. They talk to each other a lot about what worries them and what makes them angry. Despite the generational gap with their parents, they turn to them to resolve their political issues. They would like to discuss school elections, even procedures, how they are conducted, what the electoral system is, and what it means to vote white, but they think it’s a taboo subject.

1. Panagiotis Alanis. July 19 will be 17 years old.

Intervene in what’s going on

Panagiotis Alanis clearly understands what he wants from the party for which he will give his first vote. Now, if what he hopes is achieved… Well, he’s not sure. “I think it is important to have stability and security in relation to the surrounding countries. And good relations with Europe. There are also many alumni who are doing work unrelated to their subject. I would like work to be for everyone.” He survived the governments of Mitsotakis, Tsipras and Samaras, but heard older ones as well. “George Papandreou, Andreas, Karamanlis, Father Mitsotakis”. How do you feel about the return of the same names in politics? “It seems to me that the son does the same job as the father, but I don’t see anything wrong with that,” he replies with disarming honesty.

As for his political information, he tries, but there is no time for school, 12-14 hours a week, tutoring, reading. When he is interested in something, he still tries to cross it. “I will not just read what is written on one site, I will do more research.”

In view of the fact that he is at the ballot box for the first time, I would like more political information. “Of course, I will vote. We all need to vote to be able to interfere in what is happening. But I would like to talk more about these things at school, but everyone is afraid of political topics. In general, many issues related to our lives are not discussed.”

2. Vivian Papadogeorgaki. October 5, he will be 17 years old.

There should be discussion in schools

“I remember walking with my parents when they voted, and now it’s time for me to vote too. I’m a little worried,” he says. At the start of the school year, she heard that she could vote since she was born in 2006, but she still wasn’t sure. But he requested information and confirmed that he could participate in the May elections.

“Do you know that we will vote by simple proportional system?” I ask. “I didn’t know until the day before yesterday,” he replies. “But we discussed it with my parents.” He would like to see some related discussion at school. “It could help all children my age understand a lot about the political system and elections. A lot of people can’t even talk to their parents, so it’s easy to mislead them.”

Vivian insists that it’s very easy to get carried away and take what is said or written as “the truth,” especially when it’s a celebrity speaking. “I saw the president of the group write on social media that he would vote for something, and hundreds of comments below agreed: what you vote for, with you.”

3. George Kaspiris. He will turn 17 at the end of April.

No one is collaborating…

“Adults may think that at this age we are not as politically mature as we should be, but we know enough. I know all the parties and how a government can be formed,” says Giorgos, adding: “Well, I can’t say that I know exactly the position of each party.” However, there are not many adults who could claim to have a complete understanding of the programs of the parties, I reassure him.

If he votes? Not at all, and, of course, he will go to the polls on May 21. “If you don’t vote, it’s like avoiding responsibility, deciding who will govern you. Do you leave something like this to chance?

He does not believe that a cooperative government can be realized in Greece. “Can’t you see what the political situation is? Nobody cooperates with anyone. Who are these politicians – of all parties – who could function properly if they were part of a coalition government? Here, when they participate in debates or in parliament, all they do is flatter each other,” he describes.

He is informed from the Internet, but he knows that if he clicks on the link, he will receive similar updates and news. “I don’t trust what Google tells me. I usually talk to my parents and especially my stepfather, who is very involved, and we agree on a lot of our beliefs.” At school, according to Giorgos, there are many discussions between children, which often end in confrontation, “but this is expected and inevitable.”

Political discussion on social media? “Well, I read, I watch what they say, but I try not to participate in political discussions on the Internet.

4. Ilias Borbolis. On August 17, he will turn 17 years old.

Voting is a responsibility

He started watching the news during the pandemic when he had more free time. And since then, he has not given up the habit of updating. He reads news websites and watches political debates on YouTube when he learns that “something has happened.”

“Does it bother you that they’re fighting?” I ask. “On the surface, you can see that they are fighting. If you do filtering, you understand which ones are important. You must be informed in order to vote.” Groups of teenagers discuss political issues, mostly school-related issues. “We discussed squats, if they are correct, what are the requirements,” he says. “Are you fighting?” I ask. “Well, when I see that the discussion is growing in tone and some are taking extreme positions, I stop the discussion. There is no point in insisting.” He avoids any political discussions on the Internet. “On social media, you never know who you’re talking to. There are a lot of trolls on Twitter, for example, it doesn’t make sense.”

He will definitely vote. “If, as they say, there will be many abstentions in our age group, it is all the more important to vote. Voting is a responsibility, but abstaining or being white is like waiving the right to have no responsibility,” he says.

He heard many people say: “Why should I go and vote, they will come out again on their own.” But if everyone thinks so, then such an attitude will again affect who will be in parliament.”

He knows that in this election we will vote by a simple proportional system. “The number of parties that enter parliament is inversely proportional to the achievement of self-confidence,” he says. If he could decide for himself, he would prefer an independent government. “In a partner government, many times there are discussions between partners about things that don’t really matter. And the government could fall at any moment because of a deed that would be funny or even deliberate.”

5. Anastasia Chelidonis. May 9, he will be 17 years old.

Education in Greece unclear

“When I found out that I would vote, I was excited. I felt great, it is important to participate in something related to the future of Greece,” says Anastasia, who lives in Larissa and studies at the 2nd high school of the Experimental School. He does not understand many things related to politics, as he admits “I don’t know who’s wrong and who’s right in some cases. Especially in politics, it’s not easy to find justice. That’s when I think adults know best.”

But he participated in campaigns on Tempi. “We discussed it among ourselves and everyone went to the marches. We want to be safe, not to be afraid. However, I think that in the current conditions, all parties are to blame.”

He clearly remembers the economic crisis, or rather its consequences. “Everyone was stressed, we were not feeling well at all. I knew that many people had big financial problems, I listened to the conversations. He is bad at economics. “I think we mismanaged money and that’s how the crisis came about. And now, to be precise, something serious is happening again.” But he knows what he wants from the school, and he knows that this is also a matter of politics. “The path of education in Greece is strange, incomprehensible. We go to school and don’t understand a lot, and then we have to go to tutoring for long hours, run all day and have no free time at all. I wish we didn’t have to go back and forth all the time and be so nervous. We hear that schools in other countries are different. Why can’t we be here? Why not learn everything we need at school?”