European citizens in Greece elect mayors and Members of the European Parliament

12 February 2014 / 20:02:47 GRReporter

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Anastasia Balezdrova

2014 is an election year for Europe. Greece, however, will hold double elections because the second round of the local elections, which will take place at the same time, will coincide with the election day for new Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

Under the European Union (EU) legislation, the citizens of the EU Member States, including Bulgarian citizens, can run and vote in the upcoming local and European elections in Greece. For this purpose, they have to register on the electoral roll of the municipalities of residence by 28 February 2014.

Local elections

All European citizens have the right to vote for local municipal authorities but they are not entitled to vote for members of regional councils. The instructions of the Greek Ministry of the Interior for the conduct of the local elections state that all European citizens are entitled to vote if:

- They turn 18 by the end of the election year. Therefore, those born before 31 December 1996 have the right to vote.

- They are not banned from voting.

- They have been registered in the electoral roll of the municipality of residence by 28 February 2014.

In order for the citizens to be registered in the rolls they have to present a valid identity document (ID card or passport) and fill in an application, an affidavit form.

European citizens can also run for the position of municipal and regional councillors if they meet the following requirements:

- They have not been deprived of their right to vote in Greece and in the country of origin.

- They must be 18 years old on the day of the elections

- They must be residents of the municipality in which they are running for the position of councillors.

Along with the declaration of submission of their application, they must present the following:

- A certificate that they have been entered in the electoral roll of European citizens in the municipality of residence.

- A sworn statement in which they declare the following: they have not been deprived of their civil rights or their provisional withdrawal has ended, they are not on the list of people who are not eligible to run by law, namely representatives of the judiciary, military and security forces officers, religious workers, general secretaries and municipal workers, employees of municipal companies.

- An invoice for a fee paid in a tax office, proving that they have paid the amount of 50 euro in favour of the state. This condition applies to candidates in municipalities with a population of over 100,000 people.

- A sworn statement indicating the following: the candidate’s nationality and address in Greece, the electoral roll of the municipality where the candidate has been registered in the country of citizenship, the fact that the candidate has not been deprived of the right to participate in elections, that he or she is not a candidate in other municipalities in Greece, nor in another party formation in the same municipality, nor in another EU member state, the date when the candidate became a citizen of a EU Member State.

- A photocopy of a valid identity document (ID card or passport) certified by a public institution.

The European citizens will vote together with the Greek voters at the polling stations determined by the local deputy governors.

The vote may be completed only upon presentation of a valid identity document (ID card or passport).

European elections

All European citizens are eligible to vote for candidates for MEPs from the Greek parties if they meet the following requirements:

- They live in Greece and will turn 18 in the election year. Therefore, those born before 31 December 1996 have the right to vote.

- They have not been deprived of the right to vote in Greece and in their country of origin.

- They have been registered on the electoral rolls of a Greek municipality by 28 February 2014.

In order to be registered on the electoral roll, they must present a valid identity document (ID card or passport) to the municipality of residence and fill in an application, affidavit form.

For more information, citizens can turn to the municipality of residence, the centres for citizen services and to the "Elections Department" of the Ministry of the Interior by calling 213 1361252, 213 1361135, 213 136 1128 and 213 136 1132 or using the following e-mails: e.atmatzidou@ypes.gr, p.ponirou@ypes.gr and th.garoufalis@ypes.gr.

Bulgarian citizens

If European citizens want to vote for the political parties and candidates for MEPs from their home countries, they must turn to the diplomatic representation of the relevant country in Greece. The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Athens states for GRReporter that it has not received instructions about the procedure and the organization of the vote for MEPs. On receipt of information about the establishment of a polling station, the website will inform its readers about how they will be able to vote in Greece for the candidates of Bulgarian parties. It is important to note that European citizens can vote only once, i.e. only for Bulgarian candidates for MEPs or only for Greek ones.