President of Greece

President of the Hellenic Republic Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας
Standard of the President
Incumbent Karolos Papoulias since 12 March 2005
Residence	Presidential Mansion Athens
Appointer	Hellenic Parliament
Term length	Five years renewable once
Inaugural holder	Michail Stasinopoulos 18 December 1974
Formation	Constitution of Greece
Salary	138,732 €
Website	Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

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The President of the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας), colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the head of state of Greece. The President is elected by the Hellenic Parliament, and his role is mostly ceremonial. The office was formally established by the Constitution of Greece in 1975, but has an antecedent in the Second Hellenic Republic of 1924–1935 and the Republic declared by the Greek military junta in 1973–1974. The incumbent is Karolos Papoulias.

Powers

Further information: Presidential Departments (Greece)

The President is the nominal Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and occupies the first place in the Greek order of precedence. His position however is largely ceremonial, as the President's powers were limited under the current Greek Constitution of 1974, and again curtailed in the Constitutional amendment of 1986. The Prime Minister of Greece is the active chief executive of the Greek government.

Election of the President

The President of the Republic is elected for five years by the Parliament (not through direct popular vote). Article 32 of the Greek Constitution provides that a President should be elected by roll call by a special session of Parliament and at least a month before the incumbent President is due to leave office in either one or two stages. The tenure of the President may be extended in the event of War or if the voting for a new President is not completed in time.

The first stage includes three separate ballots:

• First Ballot - 200 Votes

In the first ballot the votes of a two-thirds majority of the total number of Members of Parliament is required.

• Second Ballot - 200 Votes

If the said majority is not attained, the ballot is repeated after five days, the same majority being required.

• Third Ballot - 180 Votes

If once again the required majority is not attained, voting is repeated after five days, the person receiving the votes of a three-fifths majority of the total number of Members of Parliament shall be elected President of the Republic. If the third ballot also fails to produce the required majority, Parliament shall be dissolved within ten days of the vote and elections for a new Parliament shall be called.

The second stage of the procedure is conducted by the new Parliament as soon as it has constituted itself as a body and includes another three successive ballots:

• First Ballot - 180 Votes

In the first ballot the votes of a three-fifths majority of the total number of Members of Parliament is required.

• Second Ballot - 151 Votes

Should this majority not be attained, voting is repeated within five days and the person receiving an absolute majority of the votes of the total number of Members of Parliament shall be elected President of the Republic.

• Third Ballot

If the second ballot fails to produce the required majority, then within five days the third and final vote takes place between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes. The person who receives a relative majority shall be elected President of the Republic.

Oath of Office

Before taking office, the President must recite an oath before Parliament:

"I swear (in the name of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity) to safeguard the Constitution and the laws, to ensure their faithful observance, to defend the national independence and territorial integrity of the Country, to protect the rights and liberties of the Greeks and to serve the general interest and the progress of the Greek People."

Official residence

The Presidential Mansion in Athens

The official residence of the President is the Presidential Mansion, formerly the Royal Palace, in central Athens.

History

For more details on this topic, see History of the Hellenic Republic.

The current Third Hellenic Republic (Greek: Γʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) was declared in 1974 during the period of metapolitefsi, after the end of the Regime of the Colonels which had controlled Greece since the coup d'état of 21 April 1967.

On 1 June 1973 the then leader of the military junta and regent for the exiled King Constantine II, Georgios Papadopoulos, abolished the Greek monarchy and proclaimed himself President of the Republic. A staged plebiscite on 29 July 1973 confirmed the regime change, and passed a new Constitution which established a presidential republic. This attempt at controlled democratization was ended by Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannides' overthrow of Papadopoulos in November 1973. The Republic was maintained, but was nothing more than a façade for the military regime.

After the fall of the junta and the return to civilian rule in August 1974 however, the legal and constitutional acts of the military regime were deemed invalid, and a new plebiscite was held on 8 December 1974, which finally abolished the monarchy. In the interim, the junta-appointed President, General Phaedon Gizikis, remained in office. After the plebiscite, he was succeeded by the first elected President, Michail Stasinopoulos.

A new Constitution, promulgated on 11 June 1975, declared Greece a presidential parliamentary democracy (or republic – the Greek δημοκρατία can be translated both ways). This constitution, revised in 1985 and 2001, is still in force today.

List of presidents of the Third Republic

Further information: List of heads of state of Greece

President (Birth–Death)		Portrait	Term of office		Party	Notes
1	Michail Stasinopoulos Μιχαήλ Στασινόπουλος (1903–2002)		18 December 1974	19 June 1975	New Democracy	1st President (pro tempore). Elected by parliament with 206 votes
2	Konstantinos Tsatsos Κωνσταντίνος Τσάτσος (1899–1987)		20 June 1975	15 May 1980	New Democracy	Elected 1975 Supported by the New Democracy party, elected by parliament with 210 votes
3	Konstantinos G. Karamanlis Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Καραμανλής (1907–1998)		15 May 1980	10 March 1985	New Democracy	First term, elected 1980 Supported by the New Democracy party, elected by parliament with 183 votes on the third ballot
–	Ioannis Alevras Ιωάννης Αλευράς (1912–1995)		10 March 1985	30 March 1985	PASOK	Speaker of Parliament acting as President pro tempore
4	Christos Sartzetakis Χρήστος Σαρτζετάκης (1929– )		30 March 1985	4 May 1990	Independent	Elected 1985 Supported by the PASOK party, elected by parliament with 180 votes on the third ballot
5	Konstantinos G. Karamanlis Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Καραμανλής (1907–1998)		5 May 1990	10 March 1995	New Democracy	Second term, elected 1990 Supported by the New Democracy party, elected by parliament with 153 votes on the fifth ballot
6	Konstantinos Stephanopoulos Κωνσταντίνος Στεφανόπουλος (1926– )		10 March 1995	12 March 2005	Independent	Two terms, elected 1995 & 2000 Supported by the Political Spring and PASOK parties, elected by parliament with 181 votes on the third ballot. Re-elected with 269 votes on the first ballot
7	Karolos Papoulias Κάρολος Παπούλιας (1929– )		12 March 2005	Incumbent	PASOK	Two terms, elected 2005 & 2010 Supported by the New Democracy and PASOK parties, elected by parliament with 279 votes on the first ballot. Re-elected with 266 votes on the first ballot

See also

• List of heads of state of Greece