Government & politics — Greece

• 3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire)
• note - 25 March 1821, outbreak of the national revolt against the Ottomans
• 3 February 1830, signing of the London Protocol recognizing Greek independence by Great Britain, France, and Russia

• history: many previous;
• latest entered into force 11 June 1975 amendments: proposed by at least 50 members of Parliament and agreed by three-fifths majority vote in two separate ballots at least 30 days apart; passage requires absolute majority vote by the next elected Parliament; entry into force finalized through a "special parliamentary resolution"; articles on human rights and freedoms and the form of government cannot be amended; amended 1986, 2001, 2008, 2019

• chief of state: President K
• onstantinos TASOULAS (since 13 March 2025) head of government: Pr
• ime Minister Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS (since 26 June 2023) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the reco
• mmendation of the prime minister election/appointment process: president elected by Hellenic Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); president appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party or c
• oalition in the Hellenic Parliament most recent election date: 12
• February 2025 election results: 2025: Konstantinos TASOULAS (
• ND) elected president by Parliament - 160 of 300 votes 2020: Katerina SAKELLAROPOULOU (independent) elected president by
• Parliament - 261 of 300 votes expected date of next election: 2030

Description

unicameral Hellenic Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; 280 members in multi-seat and single-seat constituencies and 15 members - including 3 seats for Greek diaspora - in a single nationwide constituency directly elected by open party-list proportional representation vote; members serve up to 4 years);

Note

• only parties surpassing a 3% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats
• parties need 10 seats to become formal parliamentary groups but can retain that status if the party participated in the last election and received the minimum 3% threshold

Elections

last held on 25 June 2023 (next to be held in 2027)

Election Results

• percent of vote by party - ND 40.6%, SYRIZA-PS 17.8%, PASOK-KINAL 11.9%, KKE 7.7%, Spartans 4.6%, Greek Solution 4.4%, NIKI 3.7%, Course of Freedom 3.2%, other 6.1%
• seats by party - ND 158, SYRIZA-PS 48, PASOK-KINAL 32, KKE 20, Spartans 12, Greek Solution 12, NIKI 10, Course of Freedom 8;

Composition

men NA, women NA, percent of women NA%

• highest court(s): Supreme Civil and Criminal Court or Areios Pagos (consists of 56 judges, including the court presidents); Council of State (supreme administrative court) (consists of the president, 7 vice presidents, 42 privy councilors, 48 associate councilors and 50 reporting judges, organized into six 5- and 7-member chambers; Court of Audit (government audit and enforcement) consists of the president, 5 vice presidents, 20 councilors, and 90 asso
• ciate and reporting judges judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by presidential decree on the advice of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which includes the president of the Supreme Court, other judges, and the prosecutor of the Supreme Court; judges appointed for life following a 2-year probationary period; Council of State president appointed by the Greek Cabinet to serve a 4-year term; other judge appointments and tenure NA; Court of Audit president appointed by decree of the president of the republic on the advice of the SJC; court president serves a 4-year term or until age 67; tenure of vice presidents, councilors,
• and judges NA subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal and Courts of First Instance (district courts)

13 regions (perifereies, singular - perifereia) and 1 autonomous monastic state* (aftonomi monastiki politeia); Agion Oros* (Mount Athos), Anatoliki Makedonia kai Thraki (East Macedonia and Thrace), Attiki (Attica), Dytiki Ellada (West Greece), Dytiki Makedonia (West Macedonia), Ionia Nisia (Ionian Islands), Ipeiros (Epirus), Kentriki Makedonia (Central Macedonia), Kriti (Crete), Notio Aigaio (South Aegean), Peloponnisos (Peloponnese), Sterea Ellada (Central Greece), Thessalia (Thessaly), Voreio Aigaio (North Aegean)

• Coalition of the Radical Left-Progressive Alliance or SYRIZA-PS [Stefanos KASSELAKIS]
• Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Dimitrios KOUTSOUMBAS]
• Course of Freedom [Zoe KONSTANTOPOULOU]
• Democratic Patriotic Movement-Victory or NIKI [Dimitris NATSIOS]
• Greek Solution [Kyriakos VELOPOULOS]
• New Democracy or ND [Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS]
• PASOK - Movement for Change or PASOK-KINAL [Nikolaos (Nikos)
• ANDROULAKIS]
• Spartans [Vassilis STIGAS]

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one p
• yes residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

chief of mission

Ambassador George James TSUNIS (since 10 May 2022) embassy: 91 Vasillisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens mailing address: 7100 Athens Place, Washington DC 20521-7100

telephone

[30] (210) 721-2951

FAX

[30] (210) 724-5313

Email address and website

• athensamericancitizenservices@state.gov
• https://gr.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general

Thessaloniki

chief of mission

Ambassador Ekaterini NASSIKA (since 27 February 2024)

chancery

2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 939-1300

FAX

[1] (202) 939-1324

Email address and website

• gremb.was@mfa.gr
• https://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/the-embassy/

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa (FL), San Francisco consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston