Editorial Ta Nea: Duty

The result of any compromise is not perfect. Yet it is the best possible and the best possible is always better than nothing. It is better to have something than absolutely nothing.

That axiom applies especially to politics which is the art of the feasible.

It is from that vantage point that one should judge the draft legislation granting Greeks abroad the right to vote. It is expected to be approved by an overwhelming parliamentary majority.

This law is the result of a compromise. On the one hand the ruling majority wanted to facilitate our fellow citizens who reside abroad to vote with minimal special criteria. On the other hand the opposition raised various objections.

If either the government or the opposition stuck to their initial positions this law would not exist. Greeks abroad would once again be denied the right to vote in Greek elections in their countries of residence.

The recognition of this right of Greeks abroad should be the first step in the direction of more broadly based suffrage.

Other categories of Greeks abroad should be facilitated in exercising their right to vote.

That said, this law should be welcomed as the fulfilment of the duty of the Greek state to citizens who either for economic or other reasons do not live within the boundaries of the Greek state.