Greece

Geography of World Commerce

Greece

GEO/150 Geography of World Commerce

Geography of World Commerce

Greece

Greece has a presidential parliamentary system and is governed under the constitution of 1975. There is a 300 member unicameral parliament, which elects a president for a five year term. The executive branch also includes a premier and a cabinet. The country is divided into thirteen administrative regions, subdivided into fifty-two departments which are responsible for most local government.

The president is the principal link among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government. He or she is insulated from direct political pressures by virtue of being elected by open ballot of the Legislative Assembly.

A candidate for the presidency must have a Greek father, have been a Greek citizen for at least five years, be at least forty years of age, and be entitled to vote in parliamentary elections. To be elected, an individual must receive a two-thirds majority in parliament on the first and second ballots, or, if no majority is reached, a three fifths majority on a third ballot. Failure to elect a president on the third round results in the dissolution of the Assembly within ten days and the holding of new elections within forty days. The new Assembly must begin immediately the process of electing a president. In this election, a three-fifths majority is required on the first ballot, and absolute majority on the second, and a simple majority on the third. Should the presidency be vacated at any time, the Assembly must meet within ten days to elect a successor for a full term. If the president is incapacitated, presidential duties are temporarily assumed by the speaker of the Assembly.

The day-to-day governance of Greece is conducted by three branches of government arranged according to the parliamentary system, with an independent judiciary and an executive branch that serves with the approval of the Assembly.

The executive establishment, or government, consists of the cabinet, which includes twenty-two departmental ministries led by the prime minister. Also included are one cabinet-rank minister to the prime minister and thirty-one alternate or deputy ministers. Ministers, who need not be members of the Assembly, are chosen by the prime minister and their names submitted to the president for formal appointment. Together with the prime minister, ministers are collectively responsible to the Assembly for the formulation and implementation of the general policy of the government. Each minister is also individually responsible for all the acts undertaken by his office as an agency of government. Cabinet members are free to attend sessions of the Assembly, and they must be heard when they request the floor. The Assembly also may request ministers to appear before it to explain policies or to answer questions.

The Assembly generally conducts legislative business in plenary sessions, as required under the constitution when certain subjects are deliberated. The prescribed subjects include parliamentary standing orders and elections; church-state relations, religious freedom, and individual liberties; the operation of political parties; delegation of legislative authority to a cabinet minister; and authorization of the state budget. Plenary sessions may also be requested by the government to consider bills of particular importance for debate and passage.

When the Assembly is in recess, its legislative work may be conducted by a legislative section. The Assembly usually divides into two sections, equal in size and proportionally representative of the strength of the political parties in legislature. The jurisdiction of each section corresponds to the jurisdictions of roughly half the government ministries. Abill passed by a section has the same status as one adopted by the full Assembly.

Bills may be introduced by the government or by a member of the Assembly. In practice, the vast majority of laws passed originate with the government. To pass a bill in plenary session of the Assembly requires an absolute majority of those present, which must not be less the one-quarter of the total membership. Passage of a bill by a section requires approval by a majority of those present; the majority must be at least two-fifths of the total sectional membership. A bill rejected by either a section or by the plenum cannot be reintroduced in the same annual session.

Justice is administered by an independent judiciary, which is divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts. Judges enjoy personal immunity, and they are subject only to the constitution and the law in discharging their constitutional responsibilities. Judges and other judicial personnel are appointed, promoted, and transferred formally by presidential decree, based on the prior decisions of a self-policing Judicial Council. Lower-level judges, including those in the courts of appeal, serve until sixty-five years of age, and those in the highest courts serve until seventy-five years of age. In each case, criminal conviction, a grave breach of discipline, disability, or professional inadequacy are grounds for dismissal.

The Judicial Council comprises the presidents of the three highest courts of the land: the Supreme Court for civil and criminal justice, the Council of State for administrative cases, and the Comptrollers' Council for fiscal matters. Other members of the Judicial Council are chosen by lot from among those judges or councilors who have served in the high courts for a minimum of two years.

The lowest courts in the civil and criminal court structure are the justice of the peace courts and the magistrate' courts, which are responsible for minor civil and criminal cases. Above this level are the courts of first instance, which handle the bulk of civil and criminal litigations. More serious cases are tried before juries. Juvenile and commercial cases also may be tried by the courts of first instance.

State finances, which also fall under the administration of the judiciary, are overseen by the Comptrollers' Council. The Comptrollers audit the expenditures of central and local government agencies as well as public corporations, and they present an annual financial report to the Assembly.

At the pinnacle of the judicial system is the Special Supreme Tribunal, comprising the presidents of the Supreme Court, the Council of State, and the Comptrollers' Council; four councilors of the Council of State; four members of the Supreme Court chosen by lot every two years; and, in some cases, two law professors also chosen by lot. The tribunal hears cases involving parliamentary election