President of Greece

For a list of previous presidents and monarchs, see List of heads of state of Greece.

President of the Hellenic Republic
Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας
Presidential standard
Incumbent Katerina Sakellaropoulou since 13 March 2020
Style	Her Excellency Ms. President (informal)
Status	Head of state Commander-in-chief
Seat	Presidential Mansion, Athens
Nominator	Parliamentary groups
Appointer	Hellenic Parliament
Term length	Five years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Greece (1975)
Inaugural holder	Michail Stasinopoulos (Third Republic)
Formation	18 December 1974 (1974-12-18)
Deputy	President of the Hellenic Parliament
Salary	€138,732 annually
Website	www.presidency.gr

The president of Greece, officially the president of the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, romanized: Próedros tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), commonly referred to in Greek as the president of the Republic (Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας, Próedros tis Dimokratías), is the head of state of Greece. The president is elected by the Hellenic Parliament; the role has been mainly ceremonial since the 1986 constitutional reform. The office was formally established by the Constitution of Greece in 1975, but has antecedents in the Second Hellenic Republic of 1924–1935 and the Greek junta in 1973–1974 which predated the transition to the current Third Hellenic Republic. The incumbent, since 13 March 2020, is Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the country's first female president.

Powers

Further information: Presidential Departments (Greece)

The president is the nominal commander-in-chief of the Greek Armed Forces and occupies the first place in the country's order of precedence. Although the Greek Constitution of 1974 vested the presidency with considerable powers on paper, in practice presidents took a largely ceremonial role; the prime minister of Greece is the active chief executive of the Greek government and the country's leading political figure. The president's role was formally brought into line with practice by the 1986 constitutional amendment, which reduced the official powers.

Election

According to Article 32 of the Greek Constitution, the president is elected for a five-year term by the Hellenic Parliament in a special session at least a month before the incumbent's term expires. Voting takes place in up to five ballots, separated by no more than five days.

The first and second ballots require a supermajority of 200 out of the 300-person body, dropping to 180 on the third. The fourth ballot requires a simple majority of 151 votes. The fifth and last ballot is then contested between the two candidates with the most votes and decided by a relative majority.

Oath of office

Before taking office, the president must recite an oath in front of the Parliament according to the Article 33, paragraph 2 of the Greek Constitution:

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.

Succession

According to the Constitution of Greece, in the event of a temporary absence of the president of Greece on account of illness, travel abroad or similar circumstances, the speaker of the parliament serves as acting president, and exercises the powers of the state president until the president resumes their functions, and in the event that the presidency falls vacant as a result of death or resignation or for any other reason, until the election of a new president. The most recent person to have served as Acting President was Ioannis Alevras, following the resignation of Constantine Karamanlis due to the constitutional crisis in 1985.

Official residence

The presidential Mansion in Athens

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

History

Further information: History of the Hellenic Republic

The current Third Hellenic Republic (Greek: Γʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) was established in 1974 during the period of metapolitefsi, after the end of the Greek junta 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 referendum 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 Ioannidis' overthrow of Papadopoulos on 25 November 1973. The republic and its symbols (but not the semi-presidential system) were formally maintained, but they were nothing more than a façade for the military regime. Lt. General Phaedon Gizikis was appointed President of the Republic, but power was in the hands of Ioannidis, who ruled behind the scenes.

After the fall of the junta and the return to civilian rule under Konstantinos Karamanlis in August 1974, the constitutional acts of the military regime were deemed invalid, and a new referendum was held on 8 December 1974, which confirmed the abolition of the monarchy. In the interim, Gizikis, remained in office as President. 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). The first constitutional amendments were proposed by Andreas Papandreou in 1985, though dubious procedures triggering a constitutional crisis, and they reduced the presidential powers, which were acting as checks and balances against the powerful position of the prime minister. The constitution was further revised in 2001, 2008, and 2019, and is still in force today.

Departments

The President of the Hellenic Republic has a number of minor departments underneath them in order to help them exercise their duties. Although the office of President is largely a ceremonial one, and powers are only theoretically meant to be used in the event of a national emergency (where the safety of the Republic itself is in danger), these departments help the President keep track of the day-to-day running of Government (which is exercised by the Prime Minister. There are 7 major offices of the President and 4 minor offices.

Major Offices

Secretary General

The Secretary General oversees all the departments of the Presidency of the Republic and supervises all the offices attached to it.

President's Office

This office is responsible for aiding the President of the Republic in the carrying out of their duties, for handling their personal and official correspondence and for arranging their personal meetings. This office also has the sub-offices of The Press and Public relations departments under its control.

Legal Department

The Legal Department is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations about all matters relating to the exercise of the powers given to the President of the Republic by the Constitution, for the issuing of laws, acts of legislative content, regulatory or individual decrees, for the granting of pardons, the reduction or commuting of sentences which have been imposed by the courts.

Diplomatic Office

The Diplomatic Office is responsible for following all matters connected with international relations, for keeping the President of the Republic briefed on such matters and for preparing Presidential visits abroad. This office also organizes receptions and deals with all matters of protocol related to the President's meetings with Heads of foreign countries and other dignitaries.

Military Office

The Military Office makes sure the President is fully briefed on all Military matters pertaining to things such as national security and arms procurement (as well as the annual budget), it is headed by a Major of the Hellenic Army.

Administrative Office

The Office of Administrative Affairs is responsible for all matters relating to the staff of the Presidency, the coordination and supervision of administrative issues connected with the Presidency of the Republic, the observance of the general protocol as well as for the supervision of the buildings and facilities of the Presidency.

Financial Affairs Office

The Financial Affairs Office is responsible for matters relating to the drawing up of the budget, the financial management, the payment of staff salaries, procurements and the management and distribution of materials.

Minor Offices

• Office of Security.
• Office of Postal services.
• Office of Financial Control.
• Telecommunications Office.

List

For a list of previous presidents and monarchs, see List of heads of state of Greece.

Head of state titles

State	Years	Title
First Hellenic Republic	1827–1832	Governor
Kingdom of Greece (Under Wittelsbach dynasty)	1832–1862	King of Greece
Kingdom of Greece (Under Glücksburg dynasty)	1863–1924	King of the Hellenes
Second Hellenic Republic	1924	Governor
	1924–1935	President of the Republic
Kingdom of Greece (Restored Glücksburg dynasty)	1935–1973	King of the Hellenes
Hellenic Republic (Military Junta)	1973–1974	President of the Republic
Third Hellenic Republic	1974–present

See also

• List of heads of state of Greece

Sources

• Featherstone, Kevin; Katsoudas, Dimitrios K., eds. (1987). Political change in Greece: Before and after the colonels. London & New York: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000992144.
• Pridham, Geoffrey, ed. (2012). Securing Democracy. London & New York: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781134975419.

External links

• Official website (in Greek, English, and French)