Politics of Greece - Revision history

Irlandos: /* Political parties and leaders */

2010-02-02T12:56:48Z

Political parties and leaders

Irlandos: /* Head of government */

2010-02-02T12:55:38Z

Head of government

Irlandos: /* Religion */

2006-11-30T14:33:09Z

Religion

Lazarus at 17:32, November 1, 2005

2005-11-01T17:32:40Z

Lazarus at 17:30, November 1, 2005

2005-11-01T17:30:54Z

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{{Politics of Greece}}

The [[1975]] [[constitution]], which [[Greece]] as a "[[President|presidential]] [[parliament]]ary [[republic]]," includes extensive specific guarantees of [[civil liberties]] and vests the powers of the [[head of state]] in a president elected by parliament and advised by the Council of the Republic. The Greek governmental structure is similar to that found in many Western [[democracy|democracies]], and has been described as a compromise between the [[France|French]] and [[Germany|German]] models. The prime minister and [[cabinet]] play the central role in the political process, while the president performs some governmental functions in addition to ceremonial duties.

The president is elected by parliament to a five-year term and can be reelected once. The president has the power to declare war and to conclude agreements of peace, alliance, and participate in international organizations; upon the request of the government a three-fifths parliamentary majority is required to ratify such actions, agreements, or treaties. The president also can exercise certain emergency powers, which must be countersigned by the appropriate cabinet minister. Changes to the constitution in 1986 limited the president's political powers. As a result, the president may not dissolve parliament, dismiss the government, suspend certain articles of the constitution, or declare a state of siege. To call a referendum, he must obtain approval from parliament.

Parliamentary deputies are elected by secret ballot for a maximum of four years, but elections can be called earlier. Greece uses a complex reinforced proportional representation electoral system which discourages splinter parties and makes a parliamentary majority possible even if the leading party falls short of a majority of the popular vote. A party must receive 3% of the total national vote to qualify for parliamentary seats.

Greece is divided into 51 [[Prefectures of Greece|prefectures]], each headed by a prefect (nomarch), who is elected by direct popular vote. There are also thirteen regional administrative districts ([[Peripheries of Greece|peripheries]]), each including a number of prefectures and headed by a regional governor (periferiarch), appointed by the Minister of the Interior. In northern Greece and in greater [[Athens]], three areas have an additional administrative position between the nomarch and periferiarch. This official, known as the president of the prefectural local authorities or "super nomarch," is elected by direct popular vote. Although municipalities and villages have elected officials, they do not have an adequate independent tax base and must depend on the central government for a large part of their financial needs. Consequently they are subject to numerous central government controls. This also leads to extremely low municipal taxes (usually around 0.2% or less).

== The Government and education, religion, and the media ==

=== Education ===

Under the Greek constitution, education is the responsibility of the state. Most Greeks attend public primary and secondary schools. There are a few private schools, which must meet the standard curriculum of and be supervised by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education oversees and directs every aspect of the public education process at all levels, including hiring all teachers and professors and producing all required textbooks.

=== Religion ===

The [[Greek Orthodox Church]] is under the protection of the State, which pays the clergy's salaries, and [[Orthodox Christianity]] is the "''prevailing''" religion of Greece according to the Constitution. The Greek Orthodox Church is self-governing but under the spiritual guidance of the Ecumenical Patriarch in [[Constantinople]]. 98% of Greek citizens consider themselves members of the Orthodox Church.

The [[Muslim]] minority, concentrated in [[Thrace]], was given legal status by provisions of the [[Treaty of Lausanne]] in 1923 and is Greece's only officially recognized religious minority. There are small [[Catholic]] communities on some of the [[Cyclades]], remnants of the long [[Venetian]] rule over the islands. The recent influx of (mostly illegal) immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Third World has an expectedly varied multi-religious profile ([[Catholic]], [[Muslim]], [[Hindu]] etc).

Under the [[2000]] constitutional amendment, complete separation of church and state is being attempted, which clashes with both the population and the clergy. For example, numerous protests have occurred for the removal of the Religious Denomination entry from the National ID card. However, outside the Orthodox majority, many believe that Greece had and still has a serious problem of religious freedom. [http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1P1:2238149&dtype=0~0&dinst=&author=Jean%20Cohen&title=GREEK%20PARLIAMENT%20REJECTS%20PLAN%20TO%20END%20RELIGION%20LISTING%20ON%20I.D.&date=04/09/1993&refid=ency_botnm] [http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1P1:42775936&dtype=0~0&dinst=&author=PATRICK%20QUINN%2C%20AP&title=Greek%20archbishop%20blames%20Jews%20in%20ID%20dispute&date=03/16/2001&refid=ency_botnm]


=== Media ===

The Greek [[Mass media|media]], collectively, is a very influential institution — usually aggressive, sensationalist, and frequently irresponsible with regard to content. Most of the media are owned by businessmen with extensive commercial interests in other sectors of the economy. They use their newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV channels to promote their commercial enterprises as well as to seek political influence.

In 1994, the Ministry of Press and Information was established to deal with media and communication issues. ERT S.A., a public corporation supervised by the Minister of Press, operates three national television channels and five national radio channels. The Minister of Press also serves as the primary government spokesperson.

The Secretary General of Press and Information prepares the Athens News Agency (ANA) Bulletin. Along with [[Associated Press|AP]] and [[Reuters]], this is a primary source of information for the Greek press. The Ministry of Press and Information also issues the Macedonian News Agency (MPE) Bulletin, which is distributed throughout the Balkan region. For international news, [[CNN]] is a particular influence in the Greek market; the major TV channels often use it as a source. State and private TV stations also use [[Eurovision]] and [[Visnews]] as sources. While few papers and stations have overseas correspondents, those few correspondents abroad can be very influential.

In 1988, a new law provided the legal framework for the establishment of private radio stations and, in 1989, private TV stations. According to the law, supervision of radio and television is exercised by the National Radio and Television Council. In practice, however, official licensing has been delayed for many years. Because of this, there has been a proliferation of private radio and TV stations, as well as European satellite channels, including [[Euronews]]. More than 1,000 radio stations were operating before March 2002, when the government implemented plans to reallocate TV frequencies and issue licenses as authorized by the 1993 Media Law, effectively reducing this number.

== CIA yearbook data ==

=== Country name ===
 ''conventional long form:''
Hellenic Republic
 ''conventional short form:''
[[Greece]]
 ''local long form:''
Elliniki Dhimokratia
 ''local short form:''
Hellas (H is silent) or Ellada (the d pronounced like the TH in "THem")
 ''former:''
Kingdom of Greece

'''Data code:'''
GR

=== Government type ===
parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum [[8 December]] [[1974]]
=== Capital ===
[[Athens]]
=== Administrative divisions ===
[[Peripheries of Greece|13 peripheries]] divided into [[Prefectures of Greece|51 prefectures]], and 1 autonomous region ([[Mount Athos]]).

=== Independence ===
1829 (from the [[Ottoman Empire]])
=== National holidays ===
Independence Day, [[25 March]] (1821) (proclamation of the war of independence) 
"NO" Day (Ochi), [[28 October]] (1940) (rejection of Italian ultimatum to surrender)
=== Constitution ===
[[11 June]] [[1975]]; First amendment in March 1986 and second amendment in spring of 2001

=== Legal system ===
based on codified [[Roman law]]; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts
=== Suffrage ===
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
=== Military Service ===
12 months for all males of 18 years of age; Compulsory with fines and imprisonment if denied. Members of families with 3 children serve a reduced time of 9 months. Military Service denial can also be substituted by a longer public service.

Limited steps have been taken to turn the Greek military into a semi-professional army in the last years, leading to the gradual decrease of the service from 18 to 12 months and the insertion of a great number of "professional" military personnel in most vertices of the force.

=== Executive branch ===

==== Chief of state ====
President [[Karolos Papoulias]] (since [[March 12]] [[2005]]), see also: [[list of Presidents of Greece]]
==== Head of government ====
Prime Minister [[Kostas Karamanlis]] (since [[March 10]] [[2004]]), see also: [[list of Prime Ministers of Greece]]
==== Cabinet ====
The cabinet includes the heads of all executive ministries, appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister. See ''[[Cabinet of Greece]]'' for details.

==== Elections ====
President elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election last held [[March 7]] [[2004]]; prime minister appointed by the president

===Legislative branch===
Unicameral Parliament or ''[[Vouli ton Ellinon]]'' (300 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
====Elections====
The [[Greek legislative election, 2004|national elections of March 2004]] brought the following results:

Party Percent Seats
ND 45.38% 165 (Conservative Party)
PASOK 40.57% 117 (Socialist Party of Greece)
KKE 5.88% 12 (Communist Party of Greece)
SYN 3.25% 6 (Coalition of Left and Progress)
LAOS 2.19% - (Extreme Right Wing Party)
DIKKI 1.79% - (Social Democrats)
EK 0.26% - (Centrist Social Democrats)

The previous national elections of April [[2000]] brought the following results:

Party Percent Seats
PASOK 43.79% 158 (Socialist Party of Greece)
ND 42.74% 125 (Conservative Party)
KKE 5.52% 11 (Communist Party of Greece)
SYN 3.20% 6 (Coalition of Left and Progress)
DIKKI 2.69% - (Social Democrats)
EK 0.34% - (Centrist Social Democrats)

The previous national elections of September [[1996]] brought the following results:

Party Percent Seats
PASOK 41.49% 162 (Socialist Party of Greece)
ND 38.12% 108 (Conservative Party)
KKE 5.61% 11 (Communist Party of Greece)
SYN 5.12% 10 (Coalition of Left and Progress)
DIKKI 4.43% 9 (Social Democrats)
POLAN 2.94% - (Centrist Right Wing Party)
EK 0.72% - (Centrist Social Democrats)

===Judicial branch===
Supreme Judicial Court, judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council; Special Supreme Tribunal, judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council

===Political parties and leaders===

* [[New Democracy]] or ND (conservative), led by [[Costas Karamanlis]], Prime Minister,
* [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement]] or PASOK, led by [[George Papandreou, junior]],
* [[Communist Party of Greece]] or KKE, led by [[Aleka Papariga]],
* [[Coalition of the Left, of Movements and Ecology]] ([[Synaspismos]] or SYN), led by [[Alekos Alavanos]],
* [[Popular Orthodox Rally]] or LAOS, led by [[Georgios Karatzaferis]],
* [[Union of Centrists]], led by [[Vassilis Leventis|Vassilis Leventis]],
* [[Rainbow Party]], led by Pavlos Voskopoulos,
* and others.

==Politicians of Greece==
* [[Alekos Alavanos]]
* [[Dimitris Avramopoulos]]
* [[Maria Damanaki]]
* [[Manolis Glezos]]
* [[Konstantinos Karamanlis]]
* [[Costas Karamanlis]]
* [[Georgios Karatzaferis]]
* [[Nikos Konstantopoulos]]
* [[Vassilis Leventis]]
* [[Andreas Papandreou]]
* [[George Papandreou, junior]]
* [[George Papandreou, senior]]
* [[Aleka Papariga]]
* [[Karolos Papoulias]]
* [[Antonis Samaras]]
* [[Costas Simitis]]
* [[Costis Stephanopoulos]]
* [[Dimitris Tsovolas]]
* and others...

==See also==
* [[Greece]]

==External links==
*[http://ekloges.ypes.gr/en/ Greek election results], via the Greek Ministry of Internal Affairs
*[http://www.ekloges.gr/ ekloges.gr] Greek Elections
*[http://www.primeminister.gr Official website of the Prime Minister of Greece]

[[Category:Politics of Greece| ]]

@@ Line 126: / Line 126: @@
 ===Political parties and leaders===
+* [[Panhellenic Socialist Movement]] or PASOK, led by PM [[George Papandreou, junior]],
-* [[New Democracy]] or ND (conservative), led by [[Costas Karamanlis]], Prime Minister,
+* [[New Democracy]] or ND (conservative), led by [[Antonis Samaras]],
 * [[Communist Party of Greece]] or KKE, led by [[Aleka Papariga]],
 * [[Coalition of the Left, of Movements and Ecology]] ([[Synaspismos]] or SYN), led by [[Alekos Alavanos]],

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 President [[Karolos Papoulias]] (since [[March 12]] [[2005]]), see also: [[list of Presidents of Greece]]
 ==== Head of government ====
-Prime Minister [[Kostas Karamanlis]] (since [[March 10]] [[2004]]), see also: [[list of Prime Ministers of Greece]]
+Prime Minister [[Giorgos Papandreou]] (since [[October 6]] [[2010]]), see also: [[list of Prime Ministers of Greece]]
 ==== Cabinet ====
 The cabinet includes the heads of all executive ministries, appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister.  See ''[[Cabinet of Greece]]'' for details.

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 The [[Greek Orthodox Church]] is under the protection of the State, which pays the clergy's salaries, and [[Orthodox Christianity]] is the "''prevailing''" religion of Greece according to the Constitution. The Greek Orthodox Church is self-governing but under the spiritual guidance of the Ecumenical Patriarch in [[Constantinople]].  98% of Greek citizens consider themselves members of the Orthodox Church.
-The [[Muslim]] minority, concentrated in [[Thrace]], was given legal status by provisions of the [[Treaty of Lausanne]] in 1923 and is Greece's only officially recognized religious minority.  There are small [[Catholic]] communities on some of the [[Cyclades]], remnants of the long [[Venetian]] rule over the islands.  The recent influx of (mostly illegal) immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Third World has an expectedly varied multi-religious profile ([[Catholic]], [[Muslim]], [[Hindu]] etc).
+The Muslim minority, concentrated in [[Thrace]], was given legal status by provisions of the [[Treaty of Lausanne]] in 1923 and is Greece's only officially recognized religious minority.  There are small Catholic communities on some of the [[Cyclades]], remnants of the long Venetian rule over the islands.  The recent influx of (mostly illegal) immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Third World has an expectedly varied multi-religious profile (Catholic, Muslim, Hindu etc).
 Under the [[2000]] constitutional amendment, complete separation of church and state is being attempted, which clashes with both the population and the clergy. For example, numerous protests have occurred for the removal of the Religious Denomination entry from the National ID card. However, outside the Orthodox majority, many believe that Greece had and still has a serious problem of religious freedom. [http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1P1:2238149&dtype=0~0&dinst=&author=Jean%20Cohen&title=GREEK%20PARLIAMENT%20REJECTS%20PLAN%20TO%20END%20RELIGION%20LISTING%20ON%20I.D.&date=04/09/1993&refid=ency_botnm] [http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1P1:42775936&dtype=0~0&dinst=&author=PATRICK%20QUINN%2C%20AP&title=Greek%20archbishop%20blames%20Jews%20in%20ID%20dispute&date=03/16/2001&refid=ency_botnm]
 === Media ===

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Politics of Greece}}
-The [[1975]] [[constitution]], which  [[Greece]] as a "[[President|presidential]] [[parliament]]ary [[republic]]," includes extensive specific guarantees of [[civil liberties]] and vests the powers of the [[head of state]] in a president elected by parliament and advised by the Council of the Republic. The Greek governmental structure is similar to that found in many Western [[democracy|democracies]], and has been described as a compromise between the [[France|French]] and [[Germany|German]] models. The prime minister and [[cabinet]] play the central role in the political process, while the president performs some governmental functions in addition to ceremonial duties.
+The [[1975]] [[Constitution of Greece|constitution]], which  [[Greece]] as a "presidential parliamentary republic," includes extensive specific guarantees of [[civil liberties]] and vests the powers of the head of state in a president elected by parliament and advised by the Council of the Republic. The Greek governmental structure is similar to that found in many Western democracies, and has been described as a compromise between the French and German models. The prime minister and cabinet play the central role in the political process, while the president performs some governmental functions in addition to ceremonial duties.
 The president is elected by parliament to a five-year term and can be reelected once. The president has the power to declare war and to conclude agreements of peace, alliance, and participate in international organizations; upon the request of the government a three-fifths parliamentary majority is required to ratify such actions, agreements, or treaties. The president also can exercise certain emergency powers, which must be countersigned by the appropriate cabinet minister. Changes to the constitution in 1986 limited the president's political powers. As a result, the president may not dissolve parliament, dismiss the government, suspend certain articles of the constitution, or declare a state of siege. To call a referendum, he must obtain approval from parliament.