No vote for us

Greek citizens who live abroad will be unable to vote in the Greek election, unless they travel to Greece. Debate continues within the Greek Australian community as to the rights and wrongs of this policy which prevents the diaspora from voting.
After five months of technocratic government, Greek PM Lucas Papademos has called elections for May 6.

Before asking President Karolos Papoulias to dissolve parliament, Mr Papademos told a cabinet meeting that the government had left behind "an important legacy".

Opinion polls suggest parties opposed to austerity could make big gains in the election. But a splintered vote would make it hard for any party to form an effective government.
Mr Papademos told his ministerial colleagues that in the five months since their interim government had been formed they had shown that "we can co-operate, combine viewpoints when necessary and put our differences aside, making decisions for the good of the country".
The Papademos government was backed by New Democracy (ND) and Pasok, which won the last election in 2009.

Both Pasok and ND are thought likely to lose ground to left- and right-wing parties that have benefited from mounting anger at the austerity measures imposed to secure aid from the EU and the IMF.
Greece's economy has shrunk 16 per cent in the past four years as a result of the crisis.

With Greek citizens who live abroad unable to vote in the election, debate continues as to the rights and wrongs of this policy which prevents the diaspora from voting.
Aggelos Haritou, secretary of the PASOK branch in Melbourne told Neos Kosmos:
"Personally I am of the view that Greeks aboard should not vote. If they get that right, they might distort the will of the people of Greece.

"However PASOK believes that Greeks abroad should elect their own members of Parliament like the Italians do. Those elected members would then be able to represent the interests of the Greeks of diaspora."

Con Alaveras, president of New Democracy Victoria branch said that many people he had spoken to in the community would have welcomed an opportunity to have their say.

"There is disappointment in the community from those who would like to vote. It's a problem. The policy should have been changed," said Mr Alaveras, who added that he hoped New Democracy (if the largest party after the election) would change the rules on the diaspora voting.
Asked if the Greek people were likely to turn their backs on the two traditional parties, Mr Alaveras said:
"The people hate politicians but they have to elect someone to run the country."

Founding member of the Ethnic Communities Council and former Communist Party member George Zangalis told Neos Kosmos that he firmly disagreed with those calling for the diaspora to be allowed to vote.
"It is for the Greek people to elect the government from their own experiences, expectations and the fact that they have to live with it," said Mr Zangalis.
"I don't think the system should be changed, it wouldn't be fair, nor advisable. Our sympathy and support for Greece can be expressed through other means."

Bill Papastergiadis, president of the Greek Orthodox Community of Victoria said that whilst he held no firm views either way on the issue of voting rights for the diaspora, other countries did operate systems that allowed for citizens living abroad to find political representation
"A lot of other European countries offer ways for its citizens abroad to vote, it's about the Greek government's will to do it, " said Papastergiadis.
"If you wanted to exact your political view, there's never been a more critical time in the last 30 years to cast a ballot as to where you see the future for Greece, especially given there's now a plethora of political parties to choose from."

Writer and academic Vrasidas Karalis argues that granting voting rights to the diaspora should not be an immediate priority for any Greek government.
"We don't live in Greece and our knowledge of Greek politics is mediated either by journalists or by the local branches of political parties which present a rather different image of the real problems in the country."
Rather, Karalis suggests, Greek Australians can help Greece by being good ambassadors of Greek culture and tradition, and not becoming "part of the establishment that has destroyed the credibility and the prestige of the country."

Speaking to Neos Kosmos, Arthur Sinodinos, Former advisor to John Howard, said:
"A lot of Greeks outside Greece will have a strong view on what's wrong. My view is that these are issues best dealt with in Greece.

"Greeks abroad on the whole feel Greece has to get its own house in order, and that there's a limited amount that can be done from outside.
Mr Sinodinos said that Greece's political and economic future had to be tackled at the source, "so most people take the view as I do, that these are matters that have to be settled in Greece itself."
In terms of the election result, the Coalition's elder-statesman added that in his opinion, "It's probably a time where a grand coalition is needed to get Greece through a very difficult period, where bipartisan commitment is important to making the reforms stick.

"They have to implement the structural reforms to help get the debt under control, but they probably need some breathing space to also allow the economy some capacity to grow.

"The question is: Is the Greek political class up to it?"