Hellenic Parliament
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The Hellenic Parliament (Greek: Βουλή των Ελλήνων; transliterated Vouli (also Boule) ton Ellinon; literally 'Will (of the Council) of the Greeks,' from the ancient Greek verb βούλομαι (voulome) meaning to will (after deliberating); Latin: volo) is the parliament of Greece, located in Syntagma Square in Athens. It is a unicameral legislature with 300 elected members.
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[edit] History
- See also: Constitutional history of Greece
Although during the Greek Revolution a number of National Assemblies had been held, the first national parliament of the independent Greek state was established only in 1843, after the September 3rd Revolution, which forced King Otto to grant a constitution. In 1911, a revision of the constitution resulted in stronger human rights, the reinforcement of the Rule of Law and the modernization of institutions, among them the parliament. After seven years of military dictatorship, on December 8 1974, a referendum was conducted to decide about the nature of the form of government. By a majority of 69.18%, the Greeks decided against a constitutional monarchy and for a parliamentary republic.
[edit] Election
The Greek Parliament 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 constituency 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.
[edit] Current composition
| Parties | Leaders | Votes | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | +− % | No. | +− | |||
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New Democracy (Nea Dimokratia) | Costas Caramanlis | 3,359,058 | 45.4 | +2.7 | 165 | +39 |
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Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima) | George Papandreou | 3,002,531 | 40.5 | -3.2 | 117 | −40 |
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Communist Party of Greece (Kommunistiko Komma Elladas) | Aleka Papariga | 436,573 | 5.9 | +0.4 | 12 | +1 |
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Coalition of the Radical Left (Synaspismos tis Rizospastikis Aristeras) | Alekos Alavanos | 241,539 | 3.3 | +0.1 | 6 | 0 |
| Others | 365,214 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 | |||
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[edit] Organization
The business of the parliament is handled by the Presidium (Προεδρείο της Βουλής), which is compromised by the Speaker of the Parliament, five Deputy Speakers, three Deans and six Secretaries. It's characterised by a tri-partisan composition, meaning that the fourth Deputy Speaker, a dean and a secretary belong to the opposition party, and that the fifth Deputy Speaker and a secretary belong to the second-in-power opposition party. A member of the Presidium, who of course must be a parliamentarian, cannot be a member of the Cabinet or an Under-Secretary. While the Speaker of the Parliament and the five Deputy Speakers are elected at the beginning of each term and for the entire duration of that term, the tenure of the Deans and of the Secretaries lasts for the duration of the regular session of the Parliament for which they were elected.
[edit] The building
The building, designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed in 1843, originally served as a palace for the Greek monarchs. After suffering fire damage in 1909, it entered a long period of renovation. Members of the royal family continued to reside there until 1924, when a referendum abolished the monarchy. The building was then used for many different purposes — functioning as a makeshift hospital and a museum, among other things — until November 1929, when the government decided that the building would instead house the Parliament. After more extensive renovations, the Senate convened in the Old Palace (Παλαιά Ανάκτορα) on 2 August 1934, followed by the Fifth National Assembly on 1 July 1935. Although the monarchy was restored that same year, the building has housed the Parliament ever since.
The Monument of the Unknown Soldier (Μνημείο του Αγνώστου Στρατιώτη), guarded by the Evzones of the Presidential Guard, lies in front of the building. The monument started being constructed in 1929 and was inaugurated on March 25, 1832.
Improvements are ongoing, some of them significant (such as the addition of an 800-vehicle underground parking structure), to ensure that the building can continue to function effectively.
[edit] External links
- Official website of the Hellenic Parliament
- History of the Hellenic Parliament Building
- The Parliament Building (Old Palace)
