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National Assembly
as on the 16 September 2007
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New Democracy (ND) |
152 |
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Total number |
300 |
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Political System
Greece is a Republic.
Head of State
The Head of the Greek State is the President, who is elected by Parliament through a secret ballot in a special session. The President, who has limited political powers, may hold office for a maximum of two five-year terms. Carolos Papoulias is the current President of the Republic and was elected in February 2005 and took office on March 12th.
The Legislative
The legislative power is exercised by Parliament (Vouli ton Ellinon), which is the supreme legislative body of the state and enacts the laws, which are then issued and promulgated by the President of the Republic. The 300 Members of Parliament are elected for a four-year term on the basis of a direct, universal, secret and compulsory ballot by a system of reinforced proportional representation.
The Greek political scene is currently dominated by the two big parties, more specifically, Nea Demokratia (ND) which was founded in 1974 by Constantinos Karamanlis, and PASOK (Panhellenic Socialist Movement). The other parties represented in the Greek Parliament are KKE (Communist Party of Greece), Synaspismos (Coalition of the left) and LAOS (Popular Orthodox Rally).
The Executive
The Prime Minister and the cabinet are at the top of the executive power and the government (Prime Minister, ministers, alternate ministers and deputy ministers) controls the majority of Parliament. The cabinet is collectively responsible for the general policy of the government, which, in turn, lays down the country's general policy in accordance with the terms of the Constitution and the law. Currently, there are 19 government departments corresponding to respective ministries.
The Prime Minister ensures the unity of the government and directs its actions, as well as those of the civil service in general, in respect of the government's policy within the framework of the law. The Greek governmental system has placed the Greek Prime Minister in the centre of the political decision-making process. The post is currently held by Costas Karamanlis, who is the leader of Nea Demokratia.
General Election
Nea Demokratia won the general election of March 2004 under the chairmanship of Costas Karamanlis, who at the age of 47 became the youngest Greek Prime Minister. The electoral success was repeated in the general elections of 2007 with 41.83% of votes for Nea Dimokratia, which won again the absolute majority in Parliament with 152 members out of 300.
Local Government
The administration of the state is organised on the basis of the principle of decentralisation. Nowadays, there are 13 administrative regions throughout the country (9 mainland and 4 insular). The government appoints a representative (periferiarchis) to run every region and ensure the implementation of its policies. Furthermore, according to the Greek Constitution, the management of local affairs is carried out by local government bodies. Therefore, a structure of first and second level of local authorities and regional administration has been established.
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Political System
