General elections for Greece have just been announced today by Greece’s Prime Minister for Sunday, the 21st of May 2023.
As per Greece’s election system and constitution, there might be a second election day which is still not known, but it will probably be in late June 2023 or early July 2023.
For those looking to travel to Greece on that day or are already in Greece on the 21st of May, bear in mind that, in general, things are slowing down considerably on election days usually, and many businesses will be closed so that people can go and vote.
This doesn’t necessarily apply to the Greek islands, which have fewer locals to vote, and the electoral process should be quick.
However, many people choose to vote in the places where they come from (villages, smaller towns, or islands), and that means they will have to go there the day before,e during the weekend.
This is good to have in mind as traffic on the roads will be considerably higher, ferry tickets and bus tickets will sell out quickly that weekend, and domestic flights within Greece will definitely be sold out before and after that Sunday, 21 of May 2023.
A few things to know about the elections in Greece:
- People vote in public schools from 7 am to 7 pm
- elections are always held on a Sunday
- There might be a second election day if a government cannot be established and no coalition can be made between the top parties; this should be in late June or early July 2023
- Businesses and shops might be open, but times might differ from the usual opening hours
- there is a lot of domestic travel within Greece as many Greeks usually vote to the place they are actually from and not in the big cities
- Main attractions and museums might be closed during election day, so please check the websites for any announcements
- many tours might be cancelled so please contact the tour operators in advance
- there might be delays and reduced frequencies on public transportation (fewer buses and trains per hour)
- there is no impact on the flights and the airports
