A draft bill that would have made voting from abroad by Greek citizens in general elections in country much easier failed to receive approval of two-thirds of the country's 300 deputies on Wednesday, coming up short, with 190 MPs voting in favor. The specific bill required an enhanced majority of 200 MPs.
The draft bill, which was tabled by the conservative Mitsotakis government, received the expected support of deputies of ruling New Democracy (ND) party, and two smaller parties: social democrat grouping KINAL - the once formidable PASOK - and the right-of-center Elliniki Lysi (Greek Solution) party.
As expected from the other side of the aisle, however, deputies from the leftist and main opposition SYRIZA party voted against, and were joined by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), as well as Yanis Varoufakis' small anti-EU/anti-euro Mera25 party.
In an acerbic reaction on his FB page, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said:
"Today, unfortunately, the country lost an opportunity to given Greek citizens who live abroad the right to vote, unhindered, in national elections from their place of residence. SYRIZA party's petty partisan interests blocked the government's intent to eliminate any restriction on the participation by our compatriots abroad in the election process...this short-sighted partisan perception undermines national necessity."
