NEW YORK – Niki Kerameus, Minister of the Interior of Greece, undertook a visit to the United States that included participating in celebrations of Greek Independence day as well as presentations about the new postal voting system for the Hellenic Diaspora. On March 28 she visited the Archdiocese of America’s headquarters in New York, and  attended a press conference at the Consulate General of Greece. On March 27 she was at the the St. Demetrios community’s Petros Patrides Cultural Center in Astoria, and March 26 she spoke at the Consulate General in Boston.

According to an Archdiocese press release regarding her meeting with Archbishop Elpidophoros, “Minister Kerameus, underscoring the critical role of the Greek Orthodox Church in America in raising awareness about the legislative change [the new postal voting system] thanked the Archbishop for his support. The Archbishop, in turn, praised the Minister for the breakthrough… Furthermore, Archbishop Elpidophoros took the opportunity to affirm the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s readiness to engage in Greece’s recently presented ‘Strategic Plan for the Hellenic Diaspora’ and to contribute to the public consultation…”

Kerameus at NY Consulate General

Speaking at a press conference at the NY Consulate General on March 28 Kerameus highlighted two key points about postal voting that has been implemented for the upcoming European Parliament elections: restrictions have been lifted on Greeks voting abroad and that all Greek citizens who are registered voters should take advantage of the convenience of signing up online for postal voting.

Consul General of Greece in New York Ambassador Dinos Konstantinou gave the welcoming remarks, thanking the Minister of the Interior for her efforts, and reminding everyone of the help line at the Consulate for those requiring assistance while signing up online for postal voting. The number is 973-921-7374.

Kerameus noted that it was the last day of an informational campaign across the United States and Canada during which she visited six cities San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and New York.

The platform is open for those signing up for postal voting, she said, adding that the total so far of those who had signed up was about 43,000 from 102 countries including Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea, Ivory Coast, Angola, Kenya, and Kazakhstan, countries where there was no voting center operating during the last elections.

Kerameus said the platform is open until April 29 for those signing up for Postal voting, when the platform closes so that the ballots can be mailed out in a timely manner via courier paid for by the government.

Greek citizens who are registered in the election rolls can register online for postal voting: epistoliki.ypes.gov.gr.

“This unique opportunity to meet with so many Greeks living abroad was very moving because I found myself in very far off cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles – imagine how far away they feel from Europe, European ties and we’re talking about European elections, but I must say that no matter how far away we were, I felt like their heart and soul were in Greece and postal voting is a bridge that connects in a powerful way all the Greeks abroad with the motherland, with Greece,” Kerameus said.

Kerameus Postal Voting Presentation in Astoria

The Minister, who made a positive impression on the Omogenia, also spoke about postal voting at a well-attended event held at the St. Demetrios community’s Petros Patrides Cultural Center attended by Consul General Konstantinou, Archbishop Elpidophoros, Dean of St. Demetrios Fr. Anargyros Stavropoulos, and AHEPA Supreme President Savas Tsivicos, as well as the leaders and representatives of many Greek societies and associations.

Kerameus told the gathering, “it is a great pleasure to be near you, in the heart of Hellenism.”

She then spoke step by step about the registration process on the online platform, where each voter can enter the account either through the TaxisNet codes, or by using their Greek passport number, in the case of residents living abroad who have not been registered electronically. She also indicated the way in which voters choose the party and European parliament candidates on their mail-in ballots which will be mailed to voters along with a special booklet that includes the list of all the candidates.

“The ballot is different from what you are used to. The ballot has two sides. The first one has all the parties – you choose which you prefer. The reverse side has 42 numbered boxes, each corresponding to a candidate of the party chosen. For example, we select Party A and select candidates numbered 1, 3, 5, and 7. I select up to four candidates. If I select five candidates, the ballot is invalid. We can choose a party and not a candidate, but not candidates without having chosen a party,” emphasized Kerameus.

A Q&A session followed the presentation, with some audience members expressing reservations about the process while others praised it. As one audience member noted, his mother will be able to vote from her living room rather than having to fly to Greece to vote in the election.

In a question regarding the security of personal data, a concern that arose after the recent incident under investigation with leaked emails from the office of Anna-Michelle Assimakopoulou, Kerameus clarified that the postal voting process is inviolable and the data of those registered is absolutely secure. She noted that while Greece came late to adopting postal voting, it is therefore able to utilize the best practices for implementing the process.

Kerameus Visits Boston

In Boston Kerameus spoke at an event held at the Consulate General. The Minister of Interior emphasized that postal voting is a “historic event,” as this opportunity will be given to expatriates for the first time. She urged all expatriates who are not registered on the special electoral rolls to do so immediately through the relevant platform, which operates 24 hours a day.

She told The National Herald, “I am very moved to be in Boston, and indeed, I have very nice memories from Boston and Harvard University.”

Referring to her North America trip as a whole, the Minister said, “we have seen thousands of Greeks expatriates, I mean in the United States and Canada. I was in Canada with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Prime Minister Trudeau.” Kerameus thanked the expatriates for their presence, participating in a ceremony in Boston marking the 203rd anniversary of the national rebirth during which the Minister of Interior praised the Greek-American community and thanked its members for what they do for Mother Greece.

Before her speech, the Minister met with past Governor of Massachusetts and former U.S. presidential candidate Michael Dukakis at the Consulate General. Also present were Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, with whom Kerameus had a special conversation.

The children of the Greek school of the community of St. Nectarios of Roslindale-Boston sang the National Anthem, to the delight of those present.

A reception followed during which the Minister conversed with the guests and answered their further questions.

During her stay in Boston, she visited Harvard University, where she studied, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Fletcher School of Tufts University.