Greeks abroad: campaign for the right to vote! (video)

Just moments away from the critical June 17 elections, a group of Greeks that live in Amsterdam set up a site to campaign for the right of Greeks living abroad to be able to vote in Greek elections. They have created a petition for people to sign, with the hope to change this unjust law. Below are their positions as found on icannotvote.org.

"We are Greek citizens, we live abroad and we are entitled to vote in the parliamentary elections of our country. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to do so from our place of residence.

Unlike 23 out of 27 EU member States and 37 European countries, the Greek state does not provide its expatriate citizens with the option to vote from abroad. Our restricted access to the electoral process is a form of discrimination, even more embarrassing if one considers that Greece is the birthplace of democracy.

The Greek State never put in effect what is required by Article 51 § 4 of the Greek Constitution (revised in 2001): “Matters pertaining to the exercise of the right to vote by persons living outside the Country may be specified by statute, adopted by a majority of two-thirds of the total number of Members of Parliament.”

Since we are not ready to give away one of our fundamental democratic rights, we decided to take action. I Cannot Vote is a campaign aiming to raise awareness for our cause, in order to apply pressure to the Members of the Greek Parliament. Our initiative is spontaneous and completely independent from political parties or groups.

We have every right to co-decide on the future of our country. Support us to make our voice heard.

Sign the petition:

www.icannotvote.org/get-involved/petition

 

Sources: I Cannot Vote, News 247