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Greece Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government. ...
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Politics of Greece takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ...
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Hellenic Parliament (Greek: Βουλή των Ελλήνων; transliterated Vouli ton Ellinon; literally Council of the Greeks) is the parliament of Greece, located in Syntagma Square in Athens. ...
This is a list of presidents of Greece. ...
Karolos Papoulias Karolos Papoulias (Greek: Κάρολος Παπούλιας) is the President of the Hellenic Republic, former minister and member of the Hellenic parliament. ...
Note on Greek names: There is no firm convention for the rendering of Greek personal names into English. ...
Costas Caramanlis Costas Caramanlis (in Greek Kostas or Konstantinos Karamanlis, Κωστας or Κωνσταντινος Καραμανλης) (born September 14, 1956) became Prime Minister of Greece on March 10, 2004 following his partys victory in the March 7 parliamentary elections. ...
The cabinet of Greece is comprised of the heads of the major ministries. ...
In Greece, the Counil of State (sometimes Counsel of State or State Council, Greek: ΣυμβοÏλιο της ΕπικÏατείας) is, at the same time, an administrative organ (one of the three Big Bodies of the greek Public Administration) and the Supreme Administrative Court. ...
The peripheries (πεÏιφÎÏειες) are the subnational divisions of Greece. ...
Greece consists of 13 administrative regions known as Peripheries of Greece, which are further subdivided into 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos, Greek: νομοί, νομός)): See also List of the prefectures of Greece by area List of the prefectures of Greece by population density List of the prefectures of Greece by population External...
Elections in Greece gives information on election and election results in Greece. ...
Legislative elections were held in Greece on March 7, 2004. ...
This article lists political parties in Greece. ...
The European Union or EU is a supranational and intergovernmental union of 25 European states. ...
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Prominent issues in Greek foreign policy include the enduring Cyprus problem, Greek-Turkish differences over the Aegean, a dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and relations with the USA. // Turkey Greece and Turkey carried out a population exchange in the 1920s in an attempt to...
| In Greece, the independence of the justice is safeguarded by the Constitution. According to section E' of the Constitution (Articles 87-100A): Lady Justice - allegory of Justice as woman with sword and with book - statue at court building. ...
- Only professional and regular judges dispense justice. This judges are professional, permanent and irremovable, enjoying full personal and functional independence. All Greek judges are graduates of the National School of Judges.
- Judges serve only the Constitution and the laws, which are in accordance with it.
- Judges are appointed by a presidential decree and they are dismissed only after a juridical decision. Their promotions are decided by the Supreme Board of Justice of the civil and penal justice and by the Supreme Board of Justice of the administrative justice respectively. The presidents and the vice-presidents of the three Supreme Courts as well as the Prosecuting Attorney of the Court of Cassation are chosen by the Cabinet. The presidents of the three supreme courts serve for a maximum three-year term.
Lady Justice - allegory of Justice as woman with sword and with book - statue at court building. ...
The cabinet of Greece is comprised of the heads of the major ministries. ...
The two branches of the Greek judicial system
According to the Constitution there are three categories of courts: civil courts, penal courts and administrative courts. The supreme court of the civil and penal justice is the Court of Cassation, while the supreme court of the administrative justice is the Council of State. Hence, Greek judges belong to one of these two branches. Consequently, an administrative judge is not entitled to judge a penal or civil case, while a civil judge is entitled to judge a civil or penal case but not an administrative one. In Greece, the Counil of State (sometimes Counsel of State or State Council, Greek: ΣυμβοÏλιο της ΕπικÏατείας) is, at the same time, an administrative organ (one of the three Big Bodies of the greek Public Administration) and the Supreme Administrative Court. ...
The civil justice Civil cases are judged: - At first instance, by the District Courts or the Courts of First Instance, according to the estimated value of the matter disputed at law.
- At second instance, by the Courts of First Instance or the Courts of Appeal, according to the estimated value of the matter disputed at law.
- By the Court of Cassation, when a writ of certiorari is filed against a final decision of the Court of Appeal. Court of Cassation's decisions are irrevocable. If the Court of Cassation concludes that a lower court violated the law or the principles of the procedure, then it can order the rehearing of the case by the lower court.
The penal justice Crimes are judged as follows: - The felonies are judged, at first instance, by the "mixed" Court of First Instance and, at second instance, by the "mixed" Court of Appeal. In these "mixed" courts participate four jurors and three professional judges (of first instance and of appeal respectively). A constitutional provision allows the exception of certain crimes from the jurisdiction of the "mixed" courts. These crimes are judged, at first instance, by the three-member Court of Appeal and, at second instance, by the five-member Court of Appeals, without the participation of any jurors. For example, the members of the Revolutionary Organization 17 November terrorist group were judged according to this procedure, because felonies of terrorism or organise crime belong to the competence of the Court of Appeal and not of the "mixed" courts.
The Court of Cassation examines writs of certiorari against the final decisions of the ("mixed" or not) Courts of Appeals and it can order the rehearing of a case by the lower court, if it concludes that the lower court violated the law or the principles of the procedure. November 17 (also known as 17N or N17) was a Marxist Greek terrorist organisation listed in U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. ...
- The misdemeanours are judged, at first instance, by the Misdemeanours' Court and, at second instance, by the Court of Appeal. A writ of certiorari against the final decision of the Court of Appeal is possible.
- The infringements are judged by the Magistrate's Court.
The administrative justice The judicial control of an administrative act goes either on its merits either not. The administrative acts of the first case are appealled against with the legal remedies of the recourse or of the suit and they belong to the jurisdiction of the Administrative Courts (of First Instance and of Appeal), while all the other administrative acts are appealled against with the legal remedy of the writ of annulment and they belong to the jurisdiction either of the Council of State or of the Administrative Court of Appeal. The control of these acts has to do with matters of legality, namely whether they are issued in accordance with the Constitution and the laws. At second and final instance, the Council of State is always competent to judge these acts. The decisions of all the administrative courts may be apealled against with a writ a certiorari, which is judged by the Council of State. In Greece, the Counil of State (sometimes Counsel of State or State Council, Greek: ΣυμβοÏλιο της ΕπικÏατείας) is, at the same time, an administrative organ (one of the three Big Bodies of the greek Public Administration) and the Supreme Administrative Court. ...
The Chamber of Accounts is also a supreme administrative court, whose jurisdicion is limited in certain particular areas (e.g. disputes between the state and the civil servants concerning their pensions). Its decisions are irrevocable and out of the control of the Council of State.
The constitutional control of laws According to the Greek judicial system every court is competent to judge the conformity or not of a legal provision with the Constitution. This judicial right constitutes the so-called "diffused" control of constitutionallity, which is opposed to the "concentrated" control. The last one exists in most European countries, which have a Supreme Constitutional Court, such as Germany, Spain or even France, which has a Constitutional Council. Since there is no such court in Greece, all courts are deemed competent to decide upon the constitutionality of a legal provision. A republican guard giving directions to visitors at the front entrance of the Constitutional Council The Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel) was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958. ...
The Supreme Special Court The Supreme Special Court is not a "regular" and "permanent" court, namely it sits only when a case belonging to its jurisdiction arises, and its role is mainly: a) to resolve disputes between the Supreme Courts or between the courts and the administration, b) to take an irrevocable decision, when contradictory decisions of the Supreme Courts, concerning the true meaning or the constitutionality of a legal provision, are issued, c) to judge the pleas against the validity of the result of the legislative elections. Consequently, it is the only court that can declare an unconstitutional legal provision "powerless" (not "null and void") and expel it from the Greek legal system, while the Supreme Courts can only declare it as "inapplicable" for the particular case. The decisions of the Supreme Special Court are binding for all courts, including the Supreme Courts.
Is a "Supreme Constitutional Court" necessary? At the outset of 2006, the prime minister of Greece, Kostas Karamanlis included within the plans of the scheduled constitutional ammendment the foundation of a Supreme Constitutional Court, which will replace the Supreme Special Court. Supporter of the proposition is the Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works Georgios Souflias. Just after the prime minister's announcement an ardent debate broke out about the necessity of a Constitutional Court. The government's proposition is ambivalent and, since it hasnt' t taken its final form, it is not clear yet whether it entails the replacement of the "diffused" constitutional control with a more "concencetrated" one or whether the Supreme Constitutional Court shall have a jurisdiction similar to this of the existing Supreme Special Court, consisting in the resolutin of contradictions and disputes between the three Supreme Courts. Costas Caramanlis Costas Caramanlis (in Greek Kostas or Konstantinos Karamanlis, Κωστας or Κωνσταντινος Καραμανλης) (born September 14, 1956) became Prime Minister of Greece on March 10, 2004 following his partys victory in the March 7 parliamentary elections. ...
The Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works of Greece is a government minister responsible for the running of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works. ...
Georgios Ath. ...
The EU Law and the Constitution The Court of Justice of the European Communities considers the law of the EU superior to the national laws, including the national constitutions. The greeek courts and, especially, the Council of State have avoided to express themselves about the superiority of the Constitution or the EU law. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is formally known as the Court of Justice of the European Communities, i. ...
In 2001, a new provision was added to the Constitution, according to which the owners of private mass media are not allowed to participate in public procurements. Both big parties, ND and PASOK, agreed to this provision, aiming, according to those who proposed it, at promoting transparency. In 2005 the Parliament passed a law, materialising the constitutional provision. The European Commission reacted immediately and warned that this legal provision violates EU law of competition. The Greek government answered that the law materialises the respective constitutional provision, which is superior to the EU law. Ardent supporter of this opinion was the professor of law and Minister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation Prokopis Pavlopoulos. Nevertheless, the government receded and amended the law according to the European Commission's instructions, when the European Commission threatened to cut Community funds destined for Greece. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
ND can mean: Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (academic degree) National Diploma, Ireland neodymium (Nd), symbol for the chemical element Neutral Density (Filter (photography)) No Doubt non-directional or omnidirectional Norsk Data, a defunct Norwegian computer manufacturer North Dakota, United States Notre Dame, for a number of churches and colleges New...
Party logo The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, better known as PASOK (Greek: Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima, ΠΑΣΟΚ), is a Greek social democratic political party. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Hellenic Parliament (Greek: Βουλή των Ελλήνων; transliterated Vouli ton Ellinon; literally Council of the Greeks) is the parliament of Greece, located in Syntagma Square in Athens. ...
The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...
The Minister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation of Greece is a government minister responsible for the running of the Ministry of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation. ...
Dr. Prokopis (also Prokopios) K. Pavlopoulos (born July 10, 1950) is a Greek lawyer, university professor and politician, and since 2004 Minister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation. ...
The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...
The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...
The Constitutional control and the Council of State After the constitutional amendment of 2001, Supreme Courts can decide on the constitutionality of a legal provision only in Plenary Session. This amendment deprived the Chambers of the Council of State of their competence to judge the constitutionality of a legal provision. Now, the Chambers are obliged to submit the case to the Plenary Session of the Council. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
Nonetheless, a Chamber of the Council with the Decision 372/2005 on a case including a problem of constitutionality, instead of submitting the case to the Plenary Session, it kept it and applied the European Convention on Human Rights, annuling the administrative act. With this "trick" the Chamber of the Council reinforced its competence without violating the Constitution and avoided a time-consuming for the litigant procedure. The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, also known as the European Convention on Human Rights, was adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe in 1950 to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. ...
A council is a group of people who usually possess some powers of governance. ...
It should be noted that, according to the Constitution, the legal force of the international conventions is superior to the national laws but inferior to the Constitution.
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