In a display of boldness, Hellenic Australian business representatives issued a missive to Greece’s leaders, including President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior.

The letter, signed by the Founding Council of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry National Federation, which comprises Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI), HACCI Victoria, HACCI Western Australia, HACCI Northern Territory, and HACCI South Australia, lays bare the mess, according to them of the state of the right of Greek citizens residing in Australia to cast their vote in the upcoming Greek national elections in May 21.

This move shows deep-seated frustration felt by many in the Hellenic diaspora towards the new electoral legislation which opens, for the first time, the right for Greeks living abroad to vote in Greek elections without having to travel to Greece. It makes clear that they speak with a “unified voice and represent the Greek professionals and entrepreneurs in Australia.”

The letter welcomes the new legislation but criticises the law as too restrictive.

“The criteria set by the law are so restrictive, that in practice the right to vote is denied to most Greeks living abroad, despite having financial interests in Greece and strong ties to the homeland.”

“The right to vote is one of the most important constitutional rights, and the Constitution makes specific mentions to the protection of Greeks in the diaspora and their rights.”

The signatories believe that “every adult Greek citizen” regardless of where they live should have an “equal right to vote” The letter goes on to highlight “technicalities” which are obstacles to voting, “such as having lived abroad for 34 instead of 33 years, or because “personal information on the e-taxis platform does not align to the electoral rolls data, or “because they cannot afford to pay for airline tickets and accommodation in another city, where a voting centre will operate.”

The letter points to the ABS:2021 data that “92,314 Australian residents were born in Greece”, and that “229,643 residents indicate that they speak Greek.”

In an unflinching criticism of the Greek government, the letter focusses on the economic interests that much of the diaspora holds in Greece – from ownership of ancestral properties to direct investments.

“The census may overlook the vast numbers of second and third-generation Greeks, who possess Greek passports and own property or investments in Greece, but have limited fluency in the Greek language,” the letter states.

The implication being that the Greek government has neglected a noteworthy portion of its people – whose investments and other economic inputs are inseparably linked to the country’s own economic welfare.

It goes on to say that even for the “few citizens” who met the requirements of the new electoral law, “the process of transferring the new overseas electoral rolls was extremely difficult and resulted “in many of our members abandoning the process.”

The letter cites the electronic registration process as a key example of the bureaucratic quagmire that often ensnares Greece. Due to disparities in character recognition and different systems, the registration process often fails to match the correct identities, leading to delays and more frustrations. Even when citizens attempt to fix the situation, there is no “alternative ID verification option”. In short, the letter depicts a Kafkaesque nightmare for Greek-Australian citizens seeking to exercise their right to vote.

The situation faced by Greek diaspora citizens seeking to register to vote can easily become an absurd experience.

According to the letter, the registration process demands that individuals “change their details at the Tax Office in Greece, through a representative in Greece.” However, as the letter points out, not all Greek-Australian citizens have this option available to them, leading to further obstacles and frustrations.

The techno-bureaucratic labyrinth it seems, would make even the most seasoned Greek civil servant’s head spin. So, Greek diaspora citizens are left without a clear path to exercise their democratic right to vote.

“As a result, only a very small number of the Greek Australian community members (just a double-digit number!) have managed to successfully register in the electoral rolls.”

The acerbic letter goes on to say that even those who do manage to complete the registration are met with yet “another surprise.”

The farcical seems to continue according to the HACCI letter when “members of the Greek Australian community in all States except Victoria and New South Wales” who registered, received an update email from Ministry of Internal Affairs telling them that they would need to fly to Sydney or Melbourne to vote, as there is “no electoral district expected to be established in the city where you have requested to vote for the elections of May 21, 2023, due to a limited number of applications.”

The letter’s sharp tone reaches its zenith when it offers a brief geography lesson on the actual distances between Australia’s main city centres – a nod to the very Greek tradition of sarcasm to drive home a real point.

“… Greek citizens with voting rights abroad, who were successfully registered in the system and happen to reside in Perth, Darwin, or Adelaide, are called to vote in Melbourne, thousands of kilometres away (note that Melbourne is 3,420 km away from Perth and 3,775 km away from Darwin). Similarly, citizens of Brisbane are called to vote in Sydney.”

The letter writes that the Greek the ministry’s email adds insult to injury by saying, “if you prefer to exercise your voting rights in Greece, you can electronically submit a request for suspension or deletion of your registration in the special electoral lists for overseas voters through the platform https://apodimoi.gov.gr. Specifically, according to the provisions of article 101 of law 5003/2022 “Suspensions or deletions of applications that take place within a period of less than three (3) days before the proclamation of the elections, are recorded in the special electoral lists for overseas voters after the conduct of the elections.”

The letter culminates in a “kindly request” addressed to the Greek government and sets forth a series of clear demands. The requests reflect the deep-seated frustration and disenchantment felt by the Greek-Australian community.

Requests

1. Establish at least one (1) voting centre per State in Australia, even with a limited voting timeframe on election day, especially where there are operating Consulates of Greece; where necessary, ensure these Consulates are appropriately supported.

2. If the establishment of one (1) voting centre per State is not possible, establish voting centres at such distances so that the nearest centre is not more than 300 km away from the residence declared by voters. Otherwise, the Greek Government is to cover the cost of transportation and accommodation to enable citizens to exercise their voting right.

3. The new Government resulting from the elections to review the electoral law regarding citizens residing abroad, following dialogue and cooperation with the Consulates, Greek Communities and Chambers of Commerce abroad.

The signatories:

  • The Founding Council of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry National Federation (HNF)
  • Elena A. Mamouni Limnios, PhD, MBA, MEng, MAICD – President, Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WA) Incorporated
  •  Fotini Kypraios, BA, LL.B, Grad Dip ACG, FGIA FCGI (CS CGP) – Chair, Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and industry (VIC) Incorporated
  •  Angela Tomazos, GFIN, MAICD – Chair, Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NT) Incorporated
  •  Kosta Koutsonas, B.Eng (struc/civil), MBA, GAICD – Chair, Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SA) Incorporated