Prime Minister of Greece facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic |
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| Style | His Excellency (formal and diplomatic) Mr Prime Minister (informal) |
| Member of |
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| Reports to | |
| Residence | Maximos Mansion |
| Appointer | President of Greece |
| Term length | Four years, renewable |
| Inaugural holder | Spyridon Trikoupis |
| Formation | 13 January 1822 |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister |
| Salary | €99,420 annually |
| Website | Prime Minister's Office |
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The Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic is the main leader of the Greek government. This person is also the head of the Greek Cabinet, which is a group of top government officials.
People usually call this role the Prime Minister of Greece. Their official office is the Maximos Mansion in central Athens. However, the Prime Minister does not live there. Sometimes, the Prime Minister is also called the President of the Government.
Contents
How the Prime Minister is Chosen
The President of Greece officially chooses the Prime Minister. This process follows rules from the Greek Constitution.
Finding a Leader
The President first looks at the results of the parliamentary elections. The leader of the political party that wins more than half of the seats in parliament usually becomes Prime Minister. This is called having an absolute majority.
If no single party wins more than half the seats, the President gives a chance to the party with the most votes. This party leader gets three days to try and form a government that parliament will support.
If that doesn't work, the President gives the next largest party leader three days to try. If that also fails, the third largest party leader gets a turn.
What Happens if No Government Forms?
If none of these attempts work, the President calls all party leaders together. If they still cannot agree on a government, the President tries to form a temporary government. This temporary government would include members from all parties. Its main job would be to hold new elections.
If even this fails, the President asks a top judge to form a temporary government. This government's only purpose is to prepare for new elections. So, when people vote for a party in an election, they are also voting for that party's leader to become Prime Minister.
Taking the Oath of Office
Before starting their job, the Prime Minister must take an oath. This is a promise to serve the country.
Traditional Religious Oath
Most Prime Ministers take a religious oath. This ceremony happens at the Presidential Mansion. The Archbishop of Athens, who is the head of the Church of Greece, leads the oath.
The Prime Minister-elect places their hand on the Bible. They then repeat a special promise:
I swear in the name of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity to safeguard the Constitution and the laws and to serve the general interest of the Greek People.
After the oath, the Prime Minister shakes hands with the President and signs official papers.
Modern Civil Oath
In 2015, Alexis Tsipras became the first Prime Minister to choose a non-religious oath. He was sworn in by the President, not the Archbishop.
Instead of the religious oath, he made this promise:
Mr President, I would like to assure you, on my honour and conscience, that I will follow the Constitution and the laws and will always serve the general interest of the Greek People.
When he became Prime Minister again later that year, the promise was made a bit more formal:
I affirm, on my honour and conscience, that I will follow the Constitution and the laws and will serve the general interest of the Greek People.
After this, he also shook hands with the President and signed the documents.
The Prime Minister's Official Office
The Maximos Mansion is the official office of the Prime Minister of Greece. It has been used for this purpose since 1982. The mansion is in central Athens, close to Syntagma Square. Even though it holds the Prime Minister's offices, it is not where the Prime Minister lives.
History of the Prime Minister's Role
The role of a prime minister in Greece has changed a lot over time.
During the Greek Revolution (1821–1832)
During the Greek War of Independence, different parts of Greece that were free from the Ottoman Empire started to govern themselves. They set up democratic systems. National meetings were held to help coordinate these efforts.
The first such meeting chose a five-person council to lead. Alexandros Mavrokordatos was its head. This council governed until 1828. Then, Ioannis Kapodistrias became the "Governor of Greece." He was both the head of state and the head of government.
After Kapodistrias was killed in 1831, his government fell apart. Greece was then led by various councils until 1833, when it became a monarchy.
Under King Otto's Rule (1832–1843)
In 1832, Greece became a monarchy. Prince Otto from Bavaria became king, even though he was very young. At first, a council of Bavarians ruled for him. The head of this council, Count Josef Ludwig von Armansperg, was the real leader of the government.
Later, King Otto took full control and ruled as an absolute monarch. This meant he was both the head of state and his own head of government.
Constitutional Monarchy (1843–1910)
King Otto's absolute rule ended in 1843. People demanded a constitution, which had been promised earlier. This led to the 3 September Revolution. Otto had to agree to a constitution.
Andreas Metaxas then took power. He is seen as the first person to formally serve as "Prime Minister" of Greece. Once the Prime Minister's job was created, the Greek people had more say in their government.
However, the king still had a lot of power. He could choose almost any member of parliament to form a government. Also, Greek political parties were not very strong yet.
In 1862, King Otto was removed from power. The Greek people chose a new king, George I of Greece. Over the next 15 years, political parties started to become more organized. Two main parties emerged: the Nationalist Party led by Alexandros Koumoundouros and the more liberal New Party led by Charilaos Trikoupis.
After the 1874 election, Trikoupis succeeded in making the king accept a new rule. This rule, called the "dedilomeni principle," meant that the king had to choose the leader of the majority party in parliament as Prime Minister. This was a big step for democracy in Greece.
The Nationalist Party was later led by Theodoros Deligiannis. He was known for disagreeing with Trikoupis on almost everything. This two-party system lasted until 1910.
Political Changes and Wars (1910–1946)
In 1910, military officers caused the fall of the civilian government. This event led to the arrival of Eleftherios Venizelos, a politician from Crete. His supporters formed the Liberal Party. This was one of the first true modern political parties in Greece. It focused on progressive and liberal ideas.
The Liberal Party was opposed by the more traditional and pro-royalist People's Party, first led by Dimitrios Gounaris. The rivalry between these two parties, and between supporters of monarchy and those who wanted a republic, shaped Greek politics until after World War II.
See also
- List of prime ministers of Greece
- List of cabinets of Greece
- Politics of Greece
