The president of the Hellenic Parliament is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Greece. The president's term coincides with the term of the assembly, and is chosen by a vote during the opening session, after each legislative election. Following is a list of speakers of the Hellenic Parliament or other national legislative bodies such as the Greek Senate, from the time of the Greek War of Independence till present. The official order of precedence ranks the speaker of the Hellenic Parliament in the 3rd position, after the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister.
The incumbent President is Nikitas Kaklamanis of New Democracy.
Constitutional powers According to the Constitution of Greece, in the event of a temporary absence of the president of the Hellenic Republic 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 his 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 election of the Speaker of the Parliament is one of the most important moments in the operation of the Parliament, not only because the office of the Speaker of the Parliament is significant in itself, but also because the vote for the election of the Speaker constitutes the first opportunity for the assessment of the cohesiveness of the majority in Parliament. The Speaker is elected by the absolute majority of the total number of the MPs (i.e. by 151 votes). If this majority is not attained, the vote is repeated, and the candidate who gets the most votes is elected.
Role
The Speaker of the Parliament directs the business of the Parliament, represents the Parliament, is responsible for the enforcement of disciplinary measures against parliamentarians, and generally, is the head of all the services of the Parliament and possesses all the responsibilities bestowed on him or her by the Constitution, the Standing Orders, or stemming from the principle of independence of Parliament. In other words, the Speaker has the final say on all matters that concern the inner workings of Parliament.
The Speaker is third in line in the Order of Precedence of the State, so the following of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister and preceding the leader of the Opposition, is the president. Additionally, the Speaker stands in pro tempore for the President of the Republic when the latter is abroad for a prolonged period of time, passes away, resigns, is deposed, or is hindered from performing his or her duties for any reason whatsoever.
Presidium The Presidium of Parliament is the group of individuals elected by the Hellenic Parliament to deal with the business of organizing and running the Parliament. This is provided for by Article 65 of the Constitution of Greece.
The Presidium is:
The President of Parliament Seven Deputy speakers Three Deans Six Secretaries
It is mandatory that the fourth Deputy Speaker, one dean and one secretary belong to the major opposition party, and that the fifth Deputy Speaker and one secretary belong to the second-in-power opposition party, and that the sixth Deputy Speaker belong to the third-in-power opposition party, and that the seventh Deputy Speaker belong to the fourth-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.
The Deputy Speakers perform their duties as assigned to them by the Speaker or as provided in the Standing Orders. The Deans assist the Speaker in organizational and executive matters of the Parliament, while the Secretaries assist the Speaker in the Parliamentary sessions and are responsible for whatever else the Speaker assigns to them.
List of presidents
Provisional government of the War of Independence, 1821–1827 This includes the presidents of the various Greek National Assemblies and the Legislative Corps (Βουλευτικό) during the Greek War of Independence.
Note: all dates are Old Style Name Entered officeLeft officeOfficeCommentsAlexandros Mavrokordatos December 20, 1821 January 15, 1822 President of the First National Assembly at EpidaurusDimitrios Ypsilantis January 15, 1822 March 17, 1823 President of the Legislative CorpsPetrobey Mavromichalis March 30, 1823 April 18, 1823 President of the Second National Assembly at AstrosIoannis Orlandos April 26, 1823 May 22, 1823 President of the Legislative CorpsAlexandros Mavrokordatos July 12, 1823 July 14, 1823 President of the Legislative CorpsPanoutsos Notaras October 11, 1824 April 6, 1826 President of the Legislative CorpsGeorgios Sisinis March 19, 1827 May 5, 1827 President of the Third National Assembly at Troezen
First Hellenic Republic, 1827–1832 This includes the presidents of the National Assemblies and the various legislative bodies under Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias and his successors.
Note: all dates are Old Style
Presidents of the National Assemblies and the Parliament (Βουλή) Name Entered office Left office Office Comments July 20, 1827 January, 1828 President of the ParliamentGeorgios Sisinis July 11, 1829 August 6, 1829 President of the Fourth National Assembly at ArgosDimitrios Tsamados December 5, 1831 December 8, 1831 President of the Fifth National Assembly at Argos December 15, 1831 March 17, 1832 President of the Fifth National Assembly at NafplionPanoutsos Notaras June 11, 1832 August 20, 1832 President of the Fifth National Assembly at Nafplion
Presidents of the Senate (Γερουσία) Name Entered office Left office CommentsGeorgios Sisinis September 12, 1829 June 15, 1830Dimitrios Tsamados June 16, 1830 December 1831
Reign of King Otto, 1843–1862 When King Otto arrived in Greece, he was still a minor, and until 1835 the country was governed by a regency council. The regents ignored the so-called "" voted by the Fifth National Assembly, and when Otto assumed full powers, he ruled as an absolute monarch. The only "parliamentary" body was the 20-member Council of State (Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας), but its role was purely consultative and it was strictly controlled by the King.
The 3 September 1843 Revolution forced Otto to grant a constitution, which was promulgated by the . The new constitution provided for a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament composed of the Senate (Γερουσία) and the Parliament (Βουλή).
Presidents of the Parliament The Parliament was to have no less than 80 members (in practice the number was between 127 and 142) with a three-year tenure (in practice some 2,5 years).
Note: all dates are Old Style Name Entered officeLeft officePartyCommentsNikitas StamatelopoulosSeptember 7, 1844December 20, 1844Russian Partyhonorary president pro temporeKanellos DeligiannisDecember 20, 1844October 31, 1845French PartyDecember 19, 1845April 14, 1847French PartySeptember 2, 1847September 10, 1848French PartyNovember 13, 1848October 5, 1849French PartyAntonios GeorgantasDecember 21, 1849July 27, 1850English PartyLazaros GiourdisDecember 20, 1850October 30, 1852Efstratios ParisisNovember 6, 1852October 27, 1853December 30, 1853April 20, 1854Parliament dismissed by King Otto and not reconvened for 8 monthsThrasyvoulos ZaimisFebruary 2, 1855October 25, 1855Alexandros KoumoundourosNovember 9, 1855June 27, 1856ResignedIoannis ZarkosJune 28, 1856October 1856Alexandros KontostavlosDecember 7, 1856June 6, 1857Initially president pro tempore, he was formally elected on 28 January 1857October 30, 18571858Andreas AvgerinosNovember 23, 1858May 24, 1859Andreas LondosDecember 17, 1859May 18, 1860Thrasyvoulos ZaimisOctober 30, 1860November 16, 1860Opposition candidate, his election led to the dismissal of parliament by the KingMarch 22, 1861August 11, 1861October 4, 1861May 1862May 10, 1862September 11, 1862Last president of the Ottonian period, following Otto's ouster in a revolution on October 10, 1862
Presidents of the Senate The Senate had a minimum of 27 members and could reach 39. Senators had to be over 40 years old, were named by the King and served for life. As a clearly monarchical instrument, it was abolished after 1862.
Note: all dates are Old Style Name Entered officeLeft officePartyCommentsGeorgios KountouriotisSeptember 26, 1844April 8, 1847French PartyAnagnostis DeligiannisSeptember 17, 1847October 17, 1853November 23, 1853August 11, 1861
First period of the Constitutional monarchy, 1863–1924 After the ousting of King Otto, elections were held to form the , which effectively ran the country until the arrival of King George I in October 1863. The Assembly thereafter promulgated the Constitution of 1864 and dissolved itself on 16 November 1864. The new constitution was liberal, established the principle of popular sovereignty and defined the country's new form of government as a Constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy (βασιλευομένη δημοκρατία), but retained considerable executive powers for the king. The Senate was abolished, and a unicameral parliament (Βουλή) of 181 members with a four-year term was proclaimed as the country's sole legislative body.
The first decade was marked by frequent changes of government, especially due to the king's interference. A landmark was the adoption of the "dedilomeni principle", championed by Charilaos Trikoupis, in 1875, which forced the king to appoint only governments that commanded a parliamentary majority and had the "declared (dedilomeni) confidence of the parliament". The 1880s and 1890s were also marked by political instability. The Goudi coup of 1909 resulted in the arrival of Eleftherios Venizelos and the August 1910 elections for a Revisoniary Parliament. New elections for a new Revisoniary Parliament were held in November, and the Constitution of 1911 was promulgated in June 1911. Political upheaval in the form of the National Schism dominated Greek politics from 1915 on, resulting in the Asia Minor Disaster and the abolition of the monarchy in 1924.
Note: all dates are Old Style