The Ministry of Interior submitted an amendment regarding postal voting to the draft law of the Ministry of Health. According to Deputy Minister of Interior, Theodore Livanios, the amendment regulates issues related to the registration of European citizens residing in Greece in the special electoral lists for postal voting, introduces the possibility of confirming the voter’s identity using a Personal Identification Number (PIN), while reducing the penalty clause for courier companies abroad. As explained by the deputy minister, the amendment also concerns the war-torn areas where Greek citizens reside and cannot be served.
The introduction of the amendment sparked reactions from opposition parties. Michalis Katrinis from PASOK spoke of haste and inaccuracy. The parliamentary representative of Greek Solution, Konstantinos Chitas, referred to “sloppy” legislation by New Democracy.
The deputy minister took the floor again, responding to the objections of the parties, explaining that Greece has the strictest framework regarding postal voting compared to other countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany.
He noted at the same time that the success of postal voting is evidenced by the fact that 74,000 people have already registered to exercise their voting rights in the European elections. He also explained, regarding the clause, that the level of identification remains unchanged and that the PIN is one of the safest methods.
