In Kyriakos Mitsotakis's pre-election frame, the diaspora has entered. Greeks living abroad now constitute an audience to which the government is addressing itself more directly, as postal voting drastically reduces the distance from the ballot box.After the outreach to expatriates in Australia, the prime minister, from the US where he is, is holding successive contacts with Greeks in America, inviting them to vote in the upcoming national elections.
Mr. Mitsotakis himself made sure to make this message as clear as possible. From New York he called on expatriates who are registered on the electoral rolls to participate in the next elections, reminding them that they can now vote from their place of residence, having two options (through the consular authorities or by postal vote).
Maximos Mansion is investing politically in this new reality and the present timing is anything but accidental. The countdown to the elections has begun and the prime minister has made clear his intention to seek a third government term. In fact, during his speech yesterday, he emphasized this specific political plan, presenting it not as a personal bet or as an effort to set an electoral record, but as a necessity, as he said, to complete the transformation of the country.
This is also the basic narrative with which the prime minister is attempting to engage with the diaspora: Greece in 2026, as the government presents it, is not the Greece of 2019. In this context, he cited as key elements of the government's argument fiscal stability, growth, the ability to support citizens against the cost of living, as well as the strengthening of the country's geopolitical position.
In the same light he also included the energy agenda, referring to the prospect of the first exploratory drilling for natural gas in the spring of 2027, while presenting Greece as a pillar of stability in a particularly turbulent region.
Active participation
The prime minister is asking the diaspora to participate actively in Greece's political life. “We look forward to your participation,” was the characteristic message he sent, giving his intervention clear political content.
Mr. Mitsotakis argued that the geographical distance from Greece can offer a different perspective, free from the intensity of daily political confrontation at home. This is essentially an indirect invitation to the diaspora to assess the country's course based on the overall picture and away from daily party competition.
At the same time, he wanted to “tie” the government's narrative to the next electoral request. He invoked the commitments of 2023 and argued that the government has implemented the vast majority of them, presenting this record as a basis of credibility for the new electoral contest. The message to expatriates is that they are being called upon to judge not only the past, but also the country's next step.
The prime minister's visit to the US contains several of the characteristics of an early election campaign: presentation of the government's record, highlighting economic and geopolitical achievements, reference to the next government term and, above all, a call to an electoral category that until now faced significant practical obstacles to participation.
He even closed his speech in New York with a phrase that had more than symbolic character. He expressed the wish to be together again with expatriates next year, adding that this “will depend on all of you.”
It is noted that in the 2023 national elections, registered Greeks abroad were approximately 22,000 - 25,000. This meant that their contribution to the final result was low, below 1% of the total valid ballots. With postal voting, there is an expectation that the above percentage will rise.