On May 21, Greece will hold its 20th round of general elections since the restoration of democracy in 1974, and the 67th general election since the founding of the modern Greek state. The election will use a simple proportional representation system, which was voted for in 2016. Parties that receive at least 3 percent of the vote will share 285 parliamentary seats according to their percentage of the vote. The remaining 12 seats will be divided among state deputies elected by each party, and the last three will be filled by candidates elected by Greeks voting abroad.
If none of the parties can form a government after the May 21st election, Greece will have a second general election on July 2 using an enhanced proportional representation system that was voted on in 2020. Under this system, the first party will receive a 20-seat bonus if it gets more than 25 percent of the vote. This bonus will increase with the party’s percentage of the vote, up to a maximum of 50 bonus seats for parties that get 40 percent.
Currently, there are 9,810,040 registered voters, including 438,595 young people aged 17 to 21 who are eligible to vote for the first time. Voters can find out where they are registered to vote by using the platform provided by the Interior Ministry.
For the first time, Greeks living abroad will be able to exercise their right to vote in their place of residence, provided they meet the criteria set out in the relevant legislation. The 22,816 expatriates whose applications to vote abroad were approved will vote on May 20th in 99 polling stations set up in 35 countries.
Polling stations will have reception areas and provide assistance to people with disabilities and reduced mobility, including allowing guide dogs. Special rules will apply to members of the armed forces, police, fire brigade, and coast guard, enabling them to vote in the areas where they are stationed, and to sailors who happen to be in Greek ports on the day of the elections.
The method for collecting and transmitting election results has been revised to shorten the time needed to obtain a reliable estimate of the results. After the votes are counted, each polling station will directly input its results into the system. This will enable a dependable outcome to be available for 25 percent of the country at 8 p.m., which is one hour after the polling stations close, and for 80 percent by 9 p.m. Additionally, the traditional method of transmitting provisional results will continue to ensure safety and allow for cross-checking. [AMNA]
