EU CITIZENS & MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

From the official interior ministry site:

The right of the EU Citizens to elect and be elected

The Ministry of the Interior Public Administration and Decentralization adopted the principle of equality and the European Union objectives for the protection of the rights and interest of the EU citizens, and it willingly responded to the founding of the right of foreign EU citizens residing in Greece to vote and be elected.

The European Council Directive 94/80/EC regarding the right to vote and to be elected during the Municipal and Community Elections regarding the EU citizens who reside in a European Union Member State, they are not nationals of, as well as the Directive 93/109/EC regarding the exercise of the above right during the elections of the European Parliament, were embedded to the Greek Law with the Presidential Decree 133/97 and the Law 2196/94, accordingly.

The foreign citizens of the European Union can exercise their right to vote and be elected both during the Municipal and Community Elections and the EU Parliament Elections.

A. The necessary condition for their exercising of the voting right, is the registration in the electoral register of a Municipality or Community of the Greek State.

* The deadline for registration in the electoral registers, so as for the citizens to be able to vote in the next municipal and community elections of October 2006, is until the date of finalization of the electoral registers (30.6.2006).
* In order to get registered they had to go to the offices of the Municipality or Community they live at, show a valid form of identification (ID card or Passport), and fill in the relevant registration form.

The foreign EU Nationals vote together with the rest of the voters, at the electoral departments specified by the Prefect. The returning board cannot allow anyone who does not present a valid form of identification (ID card or Passport) to vote.

The Hellenic Ministry of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization considers the legally established right to vote and be elected important, as it turns the citizens more and more active with regards to decision making within the local communities of our country, but also with regards to our European Status.

For more information, citizens can refer to the Municipality or Community of their place of residence and to the Ministry of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization (Division of Elections) on 3234758, 3220281 and 3223736.