Dr. Athanasios Balermpas is the Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior and former Secretary General of Citizenship in Greece (2019–2023). He has over 40 years of experience in politics, serving as a senior member of the New Democracy Party. Aside from politics, Dr. Balermpas has held executive roles in the public sector and local government-owned companies and has published multiple academic papers. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature, a Master’s in Sustainable Local Development, and a PhD in Urban Planning.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey—what led you to your current role as Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior, and how did your involvement with the Greek electoral process begin?
Since I was a university student, I have been very interested in politics. This interest led me to join the youth party of New Democracy at the age of 18, in which I have been actively involved ever since. For over 40 years, I have held various high positions of responsibility within the party and have been directly involved in national and internal party elections for over three decades. I have also been a member of the Political Committee of the New Democracy Party for several years—a committee which sets the party’s electoral strategy, organizes campaigns, and manages the party’s resources.
From 2019 to 2023, I served as Secretary General of Citizenship at the Ministry of Interior. Today, I serve as Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed me Secretary General of the Interior after the 2023 elections. My first official involvement in the electoral process as a government official came during the 2023 local and regional elections. A particularly special experience for me was when I organized the Greek elections for the European Parliament in 2024, because it was the first time that the postal vote [voting by mail] was applied in Greece.
Can you expand on your experience introducing the postal vote into a Greek election? Why was that important to you, and do you think the postal vote will be used in future elections?
In the 2024 European Parliament elections, there was an initiative from our Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to adopt postal voting for the first time, enabling Greek citizens both domestically and abroad to vote by mail. The legislation that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis introduced was accepted by the Greek Parliament. All Greek citizens registered in the electoral rolls were eligible to vote by post, regardless of their residence. This initiative marked a significant modernization of the Greek electoral process, aiming to facilitate greater participation, especially among expatriates. The implementation of postal voting in the 2024 European elections served as a precursor to its potential use in future national elections.
This was a very demanding project which was carried out by the Elections Department of the Ministry of Interior, which is under my responsibility. All political parties recognised that the 2024 European elections were one of the most successful elections despite the new addition of postal voting, and this is a great pleasure and honor for me. The Prime Minister called on all political parties in Parliament to support this important reform. If adopted, Greek citizens around the world will have the opportunity to actively participate in the electoral process without practical obstacles and to contribute to the political future of their country through their vote.
How do citizens register to vote in Greece, and how do you verify their identities at the polls?
As soon as a Greek citizen reaches the age of 17, they are automatically entered into the country’s electoral rolls. It is important to mention that, according to the Constitution of the Hellenic Republic (Greece), voting in elections in Greece is mandatory. So, every time we have an election, citizens do not have to register as voters.
The electoral process in Greece follows strict regulations to ensure fairness and transparency.
In Greece, each electoral precinct has several key officials responsible for ensuring smooth and legal conduct during each election. One of the main members of an electoral precinct is the judicial representative, who is typically a judge, lawyer, or another legal professional appointed by the Supreme Court of Greece. The judicial representative is responsible for overseeing the electoral procedure at a polling station and ensuring compliance with the law.
The other members of the electoral precinct include the secretary (appointed to assist the judicial representative in administrative tasks, keep voting records, check voter lists, and organize paperwork); an electoral committee (composed of four randomly selected registered voters from the same electoral district to assist in verifying voters, handling ballots, and maintaining order); and a police officer (assigned to ensure security and public order at the municipality’s polling station). In addition, representatives of political parties are allowed to attend the election process and ballot counting, provided they have the necessary legal documents that assure they officially represent a political party.
Voters are assigned a designated polling location where they must present a valid form of identification, such as national ID cards, valid Greek passports, driver’s licenses, or military IDs (for those currently serving in the armed forces). In the case of any discrepancies between the presented ID and the electoral rolls, the judicial representative has the authority to make the final approval.
Once verified, the voter receives a stamped envelope and a set of ballots for all participating political parties (typically ranging from 30 to 40 different parties). The voter enters a private booth and marks their political party. Depending on the size of the voter’s constituency, the voter is able to cast between one and four preference votes for their party’s candidates. Once voting ends, the ballot box is opened, and the votes are counted under the supervision of the judicial representative. The results are recorded and sent to the relevant electoral authorities.
The judicial representative submits the results to the Ministry of the Interior, which compiles the national tally. The candidates who receive the most preference votes within a party are elected. Election results are then officially announced.
As the Ministry of the Interior, what do you see as the biggest obstacle to ensuring smooth elections?
The challenges we face during the electoral process are usually logistical and technical in nature. We must ensure the timely and secure delivery of election materials such as ballot papers, ballot boxes, and official stamps, throughout Greece, including remote islands and mountainous areas. Moreover, technical issues with online systems used to verify polling data or report preliminary results present risks.
Another recurring problem is outdated electoral rolls, meaning incomplete or outdated voter records. This occurs when personal data isn’t updated or when an individual is entered in the rolls for two different regions, one for place of birth and another for place of work, for example. Also, some voters may show up at the wrong polling station or find discrepancies in their data, leading to disputes that slow down the electoral process.
One of the most common and uniquely Greek challenges is the phenomenon of the “heterodimotis.” In Greece, the term “heterodimotis” refers to a voter who is registered in the electoral rolls of one municipality– typically their place of origin or permanent registration– but lives in a different municipality. This phenomenon is common due to internal migration, as many Greek citizens live and work in areas different from their official place of registration.
Greek electoral law maintains separate municipal electoral rolls, where each citizen is initially registered based on their family records. However, those who move to another city or town can apply to be listed in the special electoral rolls for heterodimotis. Voters listed under heterodimotis can vote in their place of residence without having to travel to their original municipality, and they are assigned to a special polling station in their current area of residence. These individuals can only vote in national elections, such as parliamentary elections and referendums, but not in local municipal or regional elections, which require voting in their municipality of origin. While Greek citizens do take advantage of heterodimotis, many individuals feel that travelling to vote in their home district allows them to keep ties with it. Finally, external risks such as cybersecurity threats and misinformation campaigns can also pose challenges.
All the problems I mentioned are being successfully addressed by the Ministry of the Interior and my General Directorate. During the election period, the Ministry of the Interior operates without interruption, suspending leave and keeping all officials, supervisors, and directors on alert. Moreover, we cooperate closely with EU services and allied countries to protect the Greek people from all of the problems I have mentioned above. In addition, regarding the problem of double registrations, the Ministry of the Interior has proceeded to clear the electoral rolls from duplicate registrations and citizens who have died, a task carried out by the electoral service that is under my responsibility.
While Greek law makes voting mandatory, the penalties are often symbolic, hence the Ministry of the Interior’s efforts to make voting as easy and accessible as possible.
One of the hardest parts about organizing elections in the United States is that our elections are decentralized. Elections are not controlled by the federal government, but rather by the state or even municipality. Therefore, it is very hard to keep voters informed about the rules in their area when there is so much inconsistency across the entire country. Is the election system completely centralized in Greece? Or do different cities have the freedom to conduct their election processes differently?
The electoral system in Greece is centralized and regulated by the central administration, so municipalities must operate their elections following the national guidelines. There is no variation in the electoral process between municipalities.
Greece is a representative democracy, and citizens elect 300 individuals to represent them in the Hellenic Parliament. The number of members of parliament (MPs) is fixed by the Constitution, and they are elected through a proportional electoral system. This system ensures fair representation of political parties based on the people’s vote.
A fundamental democratic principle in Greece is the Principle of Declared Confidence, which ensures that the government has the support of the elected parliament. This principle guarantees that the government reflects the will of the majority, ensuring political stability and democratic legitimacy. After elections, the political party or coalition that secures a parliamentary majority– which is at least 151 out of 300 MPs– forms the government. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers must gain a vote of confidence from Parliament to govern. If a government loses parliamentary support, it may face a vote of no confidence, potentially leading to its resignation and new elections.
How do you keep public confidence in elections? How does the government attempt to combat misinformation and fake news on different media platforms? Does the misinformation about elections in the United States fuel conspiracies and government distrust in Greece? Or is it quite separated?
The inter-party working committee on elections is a special body established before elections to ensure fairness, transparency, and equal representation of political parties in the electoral process. It is a bipartisan committee set up before each election to provide information to Greek citizens on the electoral process and answer any questions that may arise. The inter-party working committee operates under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior and plays a crucial role in regulating media coverage, campaign financing, and other election-related matters.
The committee consists of the Minister of the Interior who serves as the chairperson, representatives of all political parties that have seats in Parliament, representatives of political parties without parliamentary representation (depending on the amount of support from the electorate for the party), officials from the National Council for Radio and Television, overseeing fair media coverage and other relevant government officials, such as individuals from the Ministry of Digital Governance for online campaigning issues.
The Inter-party Committee is responsible for ensuring equal media exposure for all political parties, regulating campaign spending, setting transparency rules, defining the allocation of public spaces for campaign advertisements, and handling disputes and complaints related to the electoral process.
Our goal is to guarantee a democratic and fair electoral environment, preventing any party from gaining an unfair advantage.
Something crucial to note is that in Greece, under certain circumstances—such as snap elections, the resignation of the Prime Minister, or the dissolution of Parliament—an interim government is appointed.
In all national elections for the Parliament, however, the Minister of the Interior has to be replaced by a neutral caretaker minister. This individual is usually a high-ranking judge or a university professor to ensure fair elections without government interference. My role as Secretary General of the Interior is very important during this time because I am responsible for coordinating all the services from several ministries.
The United States struggles to obtain high voter turnout—usually because voters cannot leave their jobs to make it to the polls or they simply do not care to vote—so our elections are often decided by a population of voters that does not accurately represent the entire population. How do you encourage people to go to the polls and vote? Is there a penalty for not voting?
Voting is mandatory for all citizens in Greece. The Greek government uses several methods to encourage citizens to vote.
First of all, we organize Public Awareness Campaigns. The Ministry of the Interior runs information campaigns via television, radio, social media, and newspapers, reminding citizens of their voting rights and the importance of participating in elections. Secondly, the government provides an online platform, Find Where You Vote, to help voters easily locate their polling station by entering basic personal information.
In addition, we have civic education programs in schools and colleges, which emphasize the role of voting in a democracy. This allows young people to learn the key elements of the democratic political system. The Greek government also arranges discounted or free transportation for voters who need to travel to their registered municipality. Oftentimes, political parties organize transportation for their members to help them vote.
A very important effort that encourages voting is the fact that Greek elections are only held on Sundays. The Fridays before elections and Mondays after elections are considered national holidays.
Finally, the history of ancient Athenian democracy is central to the national identity of Greece. Pericles, an important figure from ancient Athenian democracy, said: “the citizen who does not participate in public affairs is not considered as ignorant but as useless for the state and the homeland.” Greek political culture demands that a citizen participates in the state’s affairs and votes for their representatives and the government as a way to contribute to a prosperous future Greece.