Elections in Greece

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Elections in Greece gives information on election and election results in Greece

Election of the legislature

The Greek Parliament (Vouli ton Ellinon) has 300 members, elected for a four-year term by a system of reinforced proportional representation in 48 multi-seat constituencies, 8 single-seat constituencies and a single nationwide list. 288 of the 300 seats are determined by constituecy 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.

Eligible for deputies are Greek citizens of 25 or over on the date of the election, who are eligible to vote

The electoral law

Under the current electoral law of "reinforced proportionallity", any single party must receive at least a 3% nationwide vote tally in order to elect Members of Parliament (the so-called "3% threshold"). 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%. This is touted to enhance governmental stability. The previous law (applied in the 2004 legislative elections) was even more favorable for the first party, since it needeed at least a roughly 1% tally advantage over the second one, in order to achieve an absolute (151 parliamentary seats) majority. The electoral law can be changed by simple parliamentary majority, but a law so changed only becomes enforced in the election following the upcoming one, unless a 2/3 parliamentary majority (200 or more votes) is achieved.

Greek electoral laws since 1974 Law's "trademark" Passed in Passed by Applicated in the elections of Nationwide vote needed for an absolute majority of seats of the first party in the Parliament Threshold Reinforced proportionality 1974 '74, '77, '81, '85 40%+ and a clear difference from the second party - Simple proportionality 1989 '89(A), '89(B), '90 47%+ - Reinforced proportionality 1990 '93, '96, '00, '04 Absolute majority of seats for the first party at, almost, any case 3% Reinforced proportionality (current electoral law) 2004 Upcoming elections 41%+ 3%

The electorate

All Greek citizens who are 18 or over on the date of the election are eligible to vote, provided they are on the electoral register, unless:

they are imprisoned for a criminal offence and they have been expressly deprived of the right to vote with a judicial decision,

they are mentally incapable of making a reasoned judgement, according to a judicial decision.

The Constitution provides after the amendment of 2001 for the right of Greek citizens living abroad to vote for the legislative elections. Nevertheless, no law implementing the constitutional provision has yet been passed.

The election of the President

A head of state - the President of the Hellenic Republic - is elected by Parliament for a five-year term, and a maximum of two terms in office. Eligible for President is any person who:

has the Greek citizenship for at least 5 years,

has a father or a mother of Greek origin,

is 40 years old or over,

is eligible to vote.

When a presidential term expires, Parliament votes to elect the new President. In the first two votes, a 2/3 majority (200 votes) is necessary. The third and final vote requires a 3/5 (180 votes) majority. If the third vote is fruitless, Parliament is dissolved and elections are proclaimed by the outgoing President within the next 30 days. In the new Parliament, the election for President is repeated immediately with a 3/5 majority required for the initial vote, an absolute majority (151 votes) for the second one and a simple majority for the third and final one. The system is so designed as to promote consensus Presidential candidates among the main political parties.

Party system

Before 1910, Greek parties with the main traits attributed to them under the rules of the modern western democracy did not exist. The political formations of the 19th century lacked a steady organisational structure and a clear ideological orientation. Sometimes, they constituted just the ephemeral escort of a politician without coherence and steadiness with respect to their function.

According to the modern conception of parties, the first Greek parties with an ideologic background appear after 1910, when Eleftherios Venizelos dominates politics of Greece and founds his own party. The liberal wave of the Venizelism will result in the reaction by the opposite right-wing parataxis.

Hence, the two big ideological parataxis, the centrist and the right-wing will emerge and they will confront each other in the consecutive legislation elections for many decades. In 1974, the socialist movement sweeps the centrists and constitutes the new rival of the conservatives.

Nowadays, Greece has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant Political parties, the conservative New Deocracy (ND) and the socialist PASOK, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party.

The left is mainly represented by The Greek Communist Party (KKE) and the Coalition of the Radical Left.

Greek parties in government since 1974 Parties '74 '77 '81 '85 '89 '89 '90 '93 '96 '00 '04 New Democracy (ND) X X X X X X Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) X X X X X X Communist Party of Greece (KKE) X X Coalition of the Radical Left X X

Latest election

Main article: Greek legislative election, 2004

Summary of the 7 March 2004 Greek Parliament election results

Parties		Leaders	Votes			Seats
			No.	%	+− %	No.	+−
	New Democracy (Nea Dimokratia)	Costas Caramanlis	3,359,058	45.4	+2.7	165	+39
	Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima)	George Papandreou	3,002,531	40.5	-3.2	117	−40
	Communist Party of Greece (Kommunistiko Komma Elladas)	Aleka Papariga	436,573	5.9	+0.4	12	+1
	Coalition of the Radical Left (Synaspismos tis Rizospastikis Aristeras)	Alekos Alavanos	241,539	3.3	+0.1	6	+0
	Popular Orthodox Rally (Laikos Orthodoxos Synagermos)	Georgios Karatzaferis	162,103	2.2	-	0	-
	Democratic Social Movement (Dimokratiki Kinoniku Kinima)	Dimitris Tsovolas	132,750	1.8	-0.9	0	-
	Union of Centrists (Enosi Kentroou)	Vassilis Leventis	19,531	0.3	+0	0	+0
	Radical Left Front (Metopo Rizospastikis Aristeras)		11,261	0.2	+0	0	+0
	Communist Party of Greece (Marxist-Leninist) ( Kommounistiko Komma Elladas (marxistiko-leninistiko))		10,764	0.2	+0	0	+0
	Anti-Capitalist Coalition		8,313	0.1	-	0	-
	Hellenic Front (Elliniko Metopo)	Makis Voridis	6,751	0.1	-	0	-
	Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Greece (Marxistiko-leninistiko Kommounistiko Komma Elladas)		4,846	0.1	+0	0	+0
	Militant Socialist Party of Greece		3,180	0.0	+0	0	+0
	Liberals (Oi Fileleytheroi)		2,658	0.0	-	0	-
	Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece		2,099	0.0	+0	0	+0
	Others		958	0.0	+0	0	+0
No. of valid votes			7,404,934	100,00		300
Invalid votes			166,667
Total			7,571,601 (75.6%)
Source: Greek Interior Ministry website http://www.ypes.gr/ekloges/content/gr/ethnik_fr.htm The results of the Coalition of Radical Left are compared with the 2000 results of the Coalition of the Left, of Movements and Ecology (Συνασπισμός της Αριστεράς, των Κινημάτων, και της Οικολογίας- Synaspismos tis Aristeras, ton Kinimaton, kal tis Oikologias), the main party of the coalition.

Past legislative elections since 1910

• Greek election, 1910
  
• Greek legislative election, 1910
  
• Greek legislative election, 1912
  
• Greek legislative election, 1915 (May)
  
• Greek legislative election, 1915 (December)
  
• Greek legislative election, 1920
  
• Greek legislative election, 1923
  
• Greek legislative election, 1926
  
• Greek legislative election, 1928
  
• Greek legislative election, 1932
  
• Greek legislative election, 1933
  
• Greek legislative election, 1935
  
• Greek legislative election, 1936
  
• Greek legislative election, 1946
  
• Greek legislative election, 1950
  
• Greek legislative election, 1951
  
• Greek legislative election, 1952
  
• Greek legislative election, 1956
  
• Greek legislative election, 1958
  
• Greek legislative election, 1961
  
• Greek legislative election, 1963
  
• Greek legislative election, 1964
  
• Greek legislative election, 1974
  
• Greek legislative election, 1977
  
• Greek legislative election, 1981
  
• Greek legislative election, 1985
  
• Greek legislative election, 1989 (June)
  
• Greek legislative election, 1989 (November)
  
• Greek legislative election, 1990
  
• Greek legislative election, 1993
  
• Greek legislative election, 1996
  
• Greek legislative election, 2000
  

European Parliament elections

• European Parliament election, 1984
  
• European Parliament election, 1989
  
• European Parliament election, 1994
  
• European Parliament election, 1999
  
• European Parliament election, 2004
  

Senate elections

• Greek Senate election, 1929
  
• Greek Senate election, 1932
  

Local elections since 1974

• Greek local election, 1974
  
• Greek local election, 1978
  
• Greek local election, 1982
  
• Greek local election, 1986
  
• Greek local election, 1990
  
• Greek local election, 1994
  
• Greek local election, 1998
  
• Greek local election, 2002
  
• Greek local election, 2006 (upcoming)
  

Plebiscites

All the plebiscites conducted in Greece from 1920 since 1974 had to do with the head of state and whether he is going to be a King or a President.

The last plebiscite of 1974 is deemed final and conclusive with regards to the matter of the head of the Greek state and the choice of the constitutional model of the presidential parliamentary republc.

The current Constitution provides for two kinds of referendums:

a referendum concerning a "passed law"

a referendum concerning a matter of "national interest".

Nonetheless, these constitutional provisions have not yet been applied.

• Greek plebiscite, 1920
  
• Greek plebiscite, 1924
  
• Greek plebiscite, 1935
  
• Greek plebiscite, 1946
  
• Greek plebiscite, 1974
  

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