Greece

J

Communications

In 2005 Greece had around 568 telephones per 1,000 people. Radio and television broadcasting services in Greece are a mix of private and state owned. In 1997 the country had about 5 million radios and 5 million television receivers. Most of the leading Greek daily newspapers are published in Athens or Salonica. Dailies with large circulations include Apogevmatini, Eleftherotypia, and Ta Nea, all issued in Athens.

V

Government

In September 1968 the Greek electorate approved a new constitution drawn up by the ruling military junta. The charter retained the hereditary monarchy, declaring Greece to be a “crowned democracy”, but the king was deprived of much of the authority vested in him by the constitution of 1952. On June 1, 1973, the Council of Ministers abolished the monarchy and proclaimed Greece a republic. The junta resigned and civilian government was restored in July 1974; Greek voters declined to re-establish the monarchy in a referendum the following December. On June 11, 1975, a new republican constitution took effect.

A

Executive and Legislature

Under the 1975 constitution, as amended, the president of Greece is head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president, who is elected by parliament to a five-year term, designates a prime minister from the majority (or strongest) party in parliament and must accept the Cabinet chosen by the prime minister. Under extraordinary circumstances the president may dismiss the prime minister and Cabinet after consultation with the Council of the Republic, an advisory body consisting of present and former major officials. The president may also veto legislation, suspend parliament for up to 30 days, and dissolve parliament and call for new elections.

The national parliament of Greece, the Chamber of Deputies, is a unicameral body of between 200 and 300 members (it had 300 members as the 21st century began) who are voted to four-year terms. The legislature is divided into three working sections; the full parliament deals only with the most important matters of state. Parliament may impeach the president or any other government official by a two-thirds majority; the official is then tried by a special panel of judges.

B

Political Parties

The 1975 constitution of Greece guarantees the right to “freely establish and participate in political parties”. The largest parties at the 2007 general election were New Democracy (ND; Nea Dimokratia), the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok; Panellino Socialistiko Kinima), the Communist Party of Greece (KKE; Kommounistiko Komma Ellado), the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA; Synaspismós Rizospastikis Aristerás), and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS; Laïkós Orthódoxos Synagermós).

C

Judiciary

Ordinary civil and criminal cases are tried in courts of first instance, from which appeals may be made to the Courts of Appeal and finally to the Supreme Court. The 1975 constitution established the Special Supreme Tribunal to deal with the highest constitutional issues.