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President of the Republic
Section One: Presidential Elections
Article Thirty
Paragraph One: The President of the Republic regulates the functions of the Republic's institutions. According to the provisions of Articles Thirty-Two and Thirty-Three, the President of the Republic is elected and serves a term of five years.
Paragraph Two: The President of the Republic may not hold any other public office or position.
Paragraph Three: The term of the President of the Republic begins on the day of the oath of office.
Paragraph Four: In the event of war, the presidential term may be extended until the end of the war.
Paragraph Five: The President of the Republic may be re-elected once.
Article Thirty-One
Any Greek citizen who is at least forty years old, has the right to vote, has a Greek father, and has held citizenship for at least five years may be elected as President of the Republic.
Article Thirty-Two
Paragraph One: According to the rules of parliamentary procedure, the President of the Republic is elected by the Parliament. The election of the new President should take place at least one month before the current President's term expires, convened by the Speaker of the Parliament in a special session to be elected by secret ballot.
According to the provisions of Paragraph Two of Article Thirty-Four, if the President of the Republic is unable to perform their duties, or in the case of resignation, death, or removal from office according to constitutional provisions, the Parliament shall hold a meeting to elect a new President within ten days after the termination of the previous President's term.
Paragraph Two: In any case, the term of the elected President is five years.
Paragraph Three: The candidate who receives a two-thirds majority of all members of Parliament is elected as President of the Republic.
If the required majority is not obtained, a second vote will be held five days later.
If the second vote still does not achieve the required majority, a third vote will be held five days later; the candidate who receives a three-fifths majority of all members is elected as President of the Republic.
Paragraph Four: If the third vote still does not achieve the required majority, the Parliament must be dissolved within ten days, and new elections must be held to form a new Parliament. Only the current President of the Republic has the authority to sign the decree to dissolve the Parliament; in the event of a vacancy in the presidency, the Speaker acting as President may sign the decree.
Once the new Parliament is officially constituted, a meeting must be held immediately to elect the President of the Republic by secret ballot, requiring a three-fifths majority of all members to be elected.
If the required majority is not obtained, a new vote must be held within five days, and the candidate who receives an absolute majority of all members is elected as President of the Republic. If an absolute majority is not obtained, a vote will be held five days later among the two candidates who received the most votes in the previous round, and the candidate with the relative majority will be considered officially elected as President of the Republic.
Paragraph Five: During the recess of Parliament, a special meeting may be convened to elect a new President according to the provisions of Paragraph Four.
In the event of any dissolution of Parliament, the election of the President of the Republic must be postponed until within twenty days after the new Parliament is officially constituted, according to the provisions of Paragraphs Three and Four of this article and Paragraph One of Article Thirty-Four.
Paragraph Six: If the procedures for the election of the new President as stipulated in the above paragraphs are not completed in a timely manner, the current President of the Republic shall continue to perform presidential duties even if their term has expired, until a new President is elected.
Interpretative Clause:
The President of the Republic who resigns before the end of their term may not be a candidate in the new presidential election held after their resignation.
Article Thirty-Three
Paragraph One: The elected President must take office on the day following the end of the term of the outgoing President, or, in all other cases, on the day following their election.
Paragraph Two: Before taking office, the President of the Republic must take an oath before Parliament as follows:
“I swear in the name of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity: to defend the Constitution and the laws and to ensure their faithful observance, to uphold national independence and the territorial integrity of the state, to protect the rights and freedoms of the Greek people, and to serve the common good and progress of the Greek people.”
Paragraph Three: The annual salary and scope of authority of the President of the Republic shall be determined by law.
Article Thirty-Four
Paragraph One: If the President of the Republic is abroad for more than ten days, or is unable to perform their duties due to death, resignation, removal, or other reasons, the Speaker shall temporarily assume the duties of the President; or, if the new Parliament has not yet been constituted, the Speaker of the previous Parliament shall assume the duties; if the Speaker of the previous Parliament refuses or is absent, the government shall collectively assume the duties.
During the presidential transition period, the provisions regarding the dissolution of Parliament may not be applied, except in the cases provided for in Paragraph Four of Article Thirty-Two, and the provisions regarding the dissolution of the government and the submission of matters to a referendum as provided in Paragraph Four of Article Thirty-Seven and Paragraph Two of Article Forty-Four are not excluded.
Paragraph Two: If the President of the Republic is unable to perform their duties for more than thirty days, even if the current Parliament has been dissolved, Parliament must be convened to decide whether to hold a new presidential election based on a three-fifths majority. However, the new presidential election must be held within six months from the date the President is unable to perform their duties and is temporarily replaced by another.
Section Two: Powers and Responsibilities of Presidential Decrees
Article Thirty-Five
Paragraph One: Any decree of the President of the Republic, if not countersigned by the responsible Minister and officially published in the Government Gazette, shall be invalid or unenforceable.
If the government has been dissolved and the relevant decree has not yet been signed by the Prime Minister, it may be signed by the new Prime Minister.
Paragraph Two: However, the following decrees do not require countersignature:
(1) Appointment of the Prime Minister;
(2) Convening a Cabinet meeting under the presidency of the President according to the provisions of Paragraph Three of Article Thirty-Eight;
(3) Convening the Republic Committee;
(4) Returning passed bills or proposals to Parliament according to the provisions of Paragraph Three of Article Forty-Two;
(5) Powers provided for in Paragraph Four of Article Thirty-Two, Paragraph Three of Article Thirty-Seven, Paragraph One and Four of Article Forty-One, and Paragraph Two of Article Forty-Four;
(6) Issuing a statement to the nation in urgent and extraordinary circumstances according to the provisions of Paragraph Three of Article Forty-Four;
(7) Appointing staff in the departments of the Presidential Office.
Article Thirty-Six
Paragraph One: The President of the Republic must comply with the provisions of Paragraph One of Article Thirty-Five in all circumstances, has the authority to represent the state abroad, declare war, conclude treaties, alliances, economic cooperation agreements, and treaties for participation in international organizations or alliances. The President must inform Parliament of these matters and provide necessary explanations when national interests and security allow.
Paragraph Two: Any trade, tax, economic cooperation agreements, and treaties for participation in international organizations or alliances, or any other agreements that contain concessions that cannot be established without legislative approval as stipulated in this Constitution, or concessions that are excessively burdensome to Greek individuals, shall be invalid unless approved by a vote of Parliament.
Paragraph Three: Any secret provisions of agreements or treaties shall not contradict the public provisions.
Paragraph Four: According to the provisions of Paragraphs Two and Four of Article Forty-Three, the authority to approve international treaties does not belong to the legislative body.
Article Thirty-Seven
Paragraph One: The President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister and, based on the Prime Minister's nomination, appoints or dismisses other government members and deputy ministers.
Paragraph Two: The leader of the political party holding an absolute majority of seats shall be appointed as Prime Minister. If the leader of that party is absent, or if their leader is not elected as a member of Parliament, or if there is no party spokesperson, the Speaker shall inform the President of the Republic of the number of each party in Parliament, and the leader shall be elected by the parliamentary group within five days before appointing the Prime Minister.
Paragraph Three: If no political party obtains an absolute majority of seats, the President of the Republic may designate the leader of the party with a relative majority of seats to explore the possibility of forming a government that can gain the confidence of Parliament according to the provisions of the previous paragraph.
Paragraph Four: If the above exploration yields no results, the President of the Republic may delegate the leader of the second-largest party in Parliament to explore again, or after consulting with the Republic Committee, the President may designate a person, regardless of whether they are a member of Parliament, whom they believe can obtain the confidence vote from Parliament to serve as Prime Minister. The President of the Republic must authorize the Prime Minister appointed in this manner to dissolve Parliament and hold new elections.
Article Thirty-Eight
Paragraph One: If the Prime Minister resigns or if Parliament votes against the government according to Article Eighty-Four, the President of the Republic may dismiss the Prime Minister. In this case, a member who can obtain the confidence vote as stipulated in Article Eighty-Four shall be authorized to organize a new government, or a person, regardless of whether they are a member, shall be authorized to immediately dissolve Parliament and hold new elections.
Paragraph Two: The President of the Republic, after consulting with the Republic Committee, may dissolve the government and apply the provisions of the second paragraph of the previous paragraph.
Paragraph Three: In extraordinary circumstances, the President of the Republic may convene and preside over a Cabinet meeting.
Article Thirty-Nine
Paragraph One: In cases provided for in the Constitution, the President of the Republic may convene and preside over meetings of the Republic Committee. In any other case where the President deems the national situation serious, such meetings may also be convened.
Paragraph Two: The Republic Committee consists of former Presidents of the Republic, Prime Ministers, Speakers, leaders of opposition parties in Parliament, and former Prime Ministers who have served in governments that have received a confidence vote from Parliament, all elected democratically.
Article Forty
Paragraph One: The President of the Republic must convene an ordinary session of Parliament once a year according to the provisions of Paragraph One of Article Sixty-Four, and may convene an extraordinary session of Parliament when deemed necessary. The beginning and end of each Parliament's term must be announced by the President of the Republic or through the Prime Minister.
Paragraph Two: The President of the Republic may only suspend a parliamentary session once, either by postponing its opening or by declaring a recess.
Paragraph Three: The suspension of a parliamentary session may not exceed thirty days, and may not be suspended again during the same session without the consent of Parliament itself.
Article Forty-One
Paragraph One: If Parliament clearly contradicts public opinion or its composition cannot guarantee the stability of the government, the President of the Republic may dissolve Parliament after consulting with the Republic Committee.
Paragraph Two: At the request of a government that must obtain a confidence vote, the President of the Republic may dissolve Parliament to renew the mandate of the voters and address particularly significant national affairs.
Paragraph Three: In the cases provided for in the previous paragraph, the decree to dissolve Parliament, countersigned by the Cabinet meeting, must simultaneously announce that elections will be held within thirty days and that a new Parliament will be convened within thirty days after the elections.
Paragraph Four: The new Parliament elected after the dissolution of Parliament may not be dissolved within one year from its opening, except in the case where the new Parliament continuously votes against two governments. The President of the Republic must consult with the Republic Committee before signing this decree to dissolve Parliament. Parliament may not be dissolved twice for the same reason.
Paragraph Five: In the cases provided for in Paragraph Four of Article Thirty-Two, Parliament must be forcibly dissolved.
Article Forty-Two
Paragraph One: Laws passed by Parliament must be approved and published by the President of the Republic within one month after the vote.
Paragraph Two: The President of the Republic may return bills passed by Parliament within the time limit specified in the previous paragraph and explain the reasons for not approving the bill.
Paragraph Three: Any bill or proposal that has been passed by Parliament and returned by the President of the Republic may be submitted to the full Parliament for re-vote according to the procedure specified in Paragraph Two of Article Seventy-Six; if it is passed again by an absolute majority, the President of the Republic must approve and publish it within ten days after the second vote.
Article Forty-Three
Paragraph One: The President of the Republic may issue orders necessary for the execution of laws, but may not suspend the execution of laws or exempt anyone from the obligation to execute the laws.
Paragraph Two: At the request of the relevant Minister, administrative regulations may be issued within the scope of special authorization by law. In cases of specific issues or local interests or technical details, other administrative heads may be authorized to issue administrative regulations.
Paragraph Three: The President of the Republic may issue organizational decrees to regulate issues related to the internal structure and functions of state agencies and public bodies; however, such organizational decrees may not provide for an increase in the personnel structure of the relevant agencies or change their hierarchical structure. Such organizational decrees must be issued after consultation with the highest committee composed of at least two-thirds of members who are judicial officials, as stipulated by law.
Paragraph Four: According to laws passed by the full Parliament, authorization is granted to issue administrative regulations related to the matters specified in those laws. The law must present the general principles and instructions to be followed in the formulation of regulations and specify the time limit for exercising this authorization.
Paragraph Five: Matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the full Parliament according to the provisions of Paragraph One of Article Seventy-Two may not be delegated for authorization according to the previous paragraph.
Article Forty-Four
Paragraph One: In urgent and unforeseen extraordinary circumstances, the President of the Republic, at the request of the Cabinet, may issue legislative decrees; such legislative decrees must be submitted to Parliament for approval within forty days of their issuance or within forty days of the convening of Parliament according to the provisions of Paragraph One of Article Seventy-Two. If such a decree is not submitted to Parliament within the specified time, or is not approved by Parliament within three months after submission, the decree shall become invalid.
Paragraph Two: The President of the Republic may order that particularly urgent national matters be submitted to a national referendum.
Paragraph Three: In the event of particularly urgent extraordinary circumstances, the President of the Republic may issue a statement to the nation and publish it in the Government Gazette.
Article Forty-Five
According to legal provisions, the President of the Republic is the Commander-in-Chief of the national armed forces, and the command is exercised by the government. According to legal provisions, military ranks are conferred by the President.
Article Forty-Six
Paragraph One: Except in cases provided by law, the President of the Republic appoints and dismisses public officials according to the law.
Paragraph Two: The President of the Republic confers national medals and honors according to the relevant laws.
Article Forty-Seven
Paragraph One: After consulting with the Minister of Justice and the opinions of a committee composed of a majority of judges, the President of the Republic has the authority to declare amnesty, reduce sentences, or modify criminal judgments, as well as to eliminate all legal consequences of criminal judgments and imprisonment.
Paragraph Two: The President of the Republic may only grant pardons to ministers convicted under the provisions of Article Eighty-Six with the consent of Parliament.
Paragraph Three: Amnesty shall only be granted to political prisoners, and the amnesty decree must be issued by the President based on the recommendations of the Cabinet meeting.
Paragraph Four: Even if passed by law, amnesty may not be granted for ordinary criminal offenses.
Article Forty-Eight
Paragraph One: In the event of war or mobilization due to external threats, the President of the Republic may issue presidential orders countersigned by the Cabinet; in cases of serious disruption or clear threats to public order and national security, the President may issue presidential orders countersigned by the Prime Minister, declaring the suspension of the provisions of Paragraph Four of Article Five, Article Six, Article Eight, Article Nine, Article Eleven, Paragraphs One to Four of Article Twelve, Article Fourteen, Article Nineteen, Article Twenty-Two, Article Twenty-Three, Paragraph Four of Article Ninety-Six, and Article Ninety-Seven, or certain provisions of the above articles, and may declare the immediate effect of martial law and establish special courts. The martial law shall not be subject to amendment during its implementation.
Paragraph Two: After issuing the above presidential orders, the President of the Republic may, under the same conditions, take all necessary legislative or administrative measures as needed to restore the execution of constitutional provisions as soon as possible.
Paragraph Three: Presidential orders issued according to the provisions of Paragraph One of this article shall be revoked by another presidential order unless revoked in advance; if issued due to war, they shall be revoked by law upon the end of the war; in all other cases, they shall be revoked by law thirty days after issuance; if they need to remain in effect after thirty days, another presidential order must be issued after consulting Parliament. According to the provisions of Article Sixty-Seven, Parliament must make this decision by an absolute majority of attending members.
Paragraph Four: If the presidential order specified in Paragraph One is issued while Parliament is in recess, regardless of whether Parliament's term has expired or has been dissolved, Parliament must be convened and may not be adjourned before the expiration of the time limit specified in the previous paragraph to decide whether to extend the validity of that presidential order.
Paragraph Five: From the date of issuance of the presidential order specified in Paragraph One and during its validity, the provisions of Article Sixty-Two regarding the immunity of members from arrest shall remain in effect, regardless of whether Parliament has been dissolved or its term has expired.
Section Three: Specific Responsibilities of the President of the Republic
Article Forty-Nine
Paragraph One: The President of the Republic is not responsible for actions taken in the performance of their duties, except for serious treason or intentional unconstitutional acts. Prosecution for actions unrelated to the performance of presidential duties shall be suspended until the end of the President's term.
Paragraph Two: A proposal to accuse the President of the Republic and bring them to trial must be signed by at least one-third of the members and passed by a two-thirds majority of all members of Parliament.
Paragraph Three: If the proposal mentioned in the previous paragraph is passed, the President of the Republic shall be brought to trial in the court specified in Article Eighty-Six (the provisions of which apply correspondingly to the situation of this paragraph).
Paragraph Four: From the date of being brought to trial, the President of the Republic shall not perform their duties, and the Speaker shall temporarily assume the presidential duties according to the provisions of Article Thirty-Four. If the court specified in Article Eighty-Six acquits the President, the President may resume their duties from the date of the announcement of that judgment, provided their term has not expired.
Paragraph Five: The implementation of the provisions of this article shall be regulated by laws passed by the full Parliament.
Article Fifty
The President of the Republic possesses only the powers explicitly granted by the Constitution and the laws that come into effect simultaneously with it.