Migrants and political life in Greece : between political patronage and the search for inclusion

Abstract

This article explores the challenges that have arisen in the fields of political participation and naturalisation policies from the past two decades of immigration to Greece. It discusses the ways in which mainstream political parties have responded to changing societal conditions and ensuing political challenges. For electoral purposes they have reached out to the (naturalised) co-ethnic communities, while in recent years the normative debate has been moving towards the need to accommodate the political entitlements of third-country nationals legally residing in Greece.