Politics of Greece: Difference between revisions

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[[Greece]] is a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] republic, where the [[President of Greece]] is the [[head of state]] and the [[Prime Minister of Greece]] is the [[head of government]] within a [[multi-party system]]. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[Government of Greece|government]] and the [[Hellenic Parliament]]. Between the [[Metapolitefsi|restoration of democracy]] in 1974 and the [[Greek government-debt crisis]], the party system was dominated by the liberal-conservative [[New Democracy (Greece)|New Democracy]] and the social-democratic [[PASOK]]. Since 2012, the anti-austerity, democratic socialist party [[Syriza]] has taken the place of PASOK as the largest left wing party, with their first election victory in January 2015.

The President of the Republic is elected by the Parliament for a five-year term (election last held 22 January 2020), and a maximum of two terms in office. When a presidential term expires, Parliament votes to elect the new president. In the first two votes, a {{frac|2|3}} majority (200 votes) is necessary. The third and final vote requires a {{frac|3|5}} (180 votes) majority.

The president can also exercise certain emergency powers, which must be countersigned by the appropriate cabinet minister.  The president may not dissolve parliament, dismiss the government, suspend certain articles of the constitution, issue a proclamation or declare a state of siege without countersigning by the prime minister or the appropriate cabinet minister. To call a referendum, they must obtain approval from parliament. They can appoint ministers after they are recommended by the Prime Minister. Although not official, the president of Greece is usually from the main opposition party so that the government and opposition can agree and not host elections. Sometimes they are chosen from outside the political ranks. Currently, the president of Greece is [[Konstantinos Tasoulas]], the 9th President of Greece since the restoration of democracy in 1974.

Greece elects a legislature by universal suffrage of all citizens over the age of 17 (changed in 2018). The [[Parliament of Greece|Greek Parliament]] (Βουλή των Ελλήνων) has 300 members, elected for a four-year term by a system of reinforced [[proportional representation]] in 48 multi-seat [[constituency|constituencies]], 8 single-seat constituencies and a single nationwide list. 288 of the 300 seats are determined by constituency voting, and voters may select the candidate or candidates of their choice by marking their name on the party ballot. The remaining 12 seats are filled from nationwide party lists on a top-down basis and based on the proportion of the total vote each party received.

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. Under the current electoral law, any single party must receive at least a 3% nationwide vote tally to elect members of parliament (the so-called "3% threshold"). The largest party gets a 50-seat bonus (out of 300 seats) ostensibly to ensure elections return viable governing majorities. Various times throughout the years, the system has been changed, and parties often fall short of the 151 seats required to have a majority, so they create coalitions.

The law in its current form favors the [[first past the post]] party to achieve an absolute (151 parliamentary seats) majority, provided it receives a 41%+ nationwide vote. This is touted to enhance governmental stability. These electoral laws can be changed by simple parliamentary majority, but a law so changed will not come into effect for two election cycles unless passed by a {{frac|2|3}} majority in the Hellenic Parliament.

Greece is divided into [[Modern regions of Greece|13 administrative regions]] which are further divided into [[Regional units of Greece|74 regional units]]. The 13 administrative regions (Περιφέρειες, Periféries) are each headed by a popularly elected governor (Περιφερειάρχης, Periferiárhis) and presided over by the popularly elected regional council (Περιφερειακό Συμβούλιο, Periferiakó Simvoúlio). Each of the 74 regional units (Περιφερειακές Ενότητες, Periferiakés Enóti̱tes) are headed by a vice governor (Αντιπεριφερειάρχης, Antiperiferiárhis), who is taken from the same political party as the elected governor. The 13 regions are mostly political and geographically.{{clarify|date=July 2020}} Greece is home to nine regions: [[Thrace]], with the capital [[Alexandroupolis]], [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]], with the capital of [[Thessaloniki]]; Epirus; Central Greece; Peloponnese; the Ionian Islands; the Aegean islands; Crete; and Athens.

Although municipalities and villages have elected officials, they often do not have an adequate independent revenue base and must depend on the central government budget 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).

* [[Kostas Bakoyannis]] (Mayor of Athens since 2019)

* [[Nikos Dendias]] (Secretary of the State)

* [[Anna Diamantopoulou]] (former Secretary of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs)

* [[Pavlos Geroulanos]] (former Secretary of Culture and Tourism)

* [[Kostis Hatzidakis]] (Secretary of the Labor and Social Affairs)

* [[Kostas Karamanlis]] (former prime minister)

* [[Nikos Kotzias]] (former Secretary of the State)

* [[Stefanos Manos]] (former Secretary of the Treasury)

* [[George Papandreou]] (former prime minister and Leader of Socialist International)

* [[Giannis Ragousis]] (Former Secretary of the Interior)

* [[Katerina Sakellaropoulou]] (President of the Hellenic Republic)

* [[Antonis Samaras]] (former prime minister)

* [[Alexis Tsipras]] (former prime minister)

* [[Euclid Tsakalotos]] (former Secretary of the Treasury)

* [[Yanis Varoufakis]] (Former Secretary of the Treasury)

* [[Evangelos Venizelos]] (former Secretary of National Defense)

The Greek media, collectively, is a very influential institution – usually aggressive, sensationalist. As with many countries, most of the media are owned by businesses with commercial interests in other sectors of the economy. There are often accusations of newspapers, magazines, and radio and television channels being used to promote their commercial enterprises as well as to seek political influence.