SYRIZA shifts on diaspora vote

Following a session of its political secretariat Friday, the main leftist opposition SYRIZA party shifted position on New Democracy's initiative to grant full voting rights to diaspora Greeks, indicating that it could compromise on the basis of proposals made by the Communist Party (KKE) and the MeRA25 party of former leftist finance minister Yanis Varoufakis.

Last week SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras had rejected ND's initiative, chiefly its premise that diaspora Greeks' votes should be equal to those voting in Greece, arguing that it would "distort the country's political balance."

The center-left Movement for Change (KINAL) as well as nationalist Greek Solution backed the initiative, with KKE and MeRA25 supporting aspects of it with some reservations.

With SYRIZA on board, the government would come close to its goal of getting most of Greece's 300 MPs behind...