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Greek Senate Ελληνική Γερουσία | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1927 |
| Disbanded | 1935 |
| Seats | 120 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Old Royal Palace,Athens | |
| This article is part ofa series on |
| Politics of Greece |
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TheGreek Senate (Greek:Ελληνική Γερουσία,romanized: EllinikíGerousía) was the upper chamber of theparliament inGreece, extant several times in the country's history.
During the early stages of theGreek War of Independence, prior to the establishment of a centralized administration, a number of regional councils were established, most of which were termed "senate", but which were unicameral bodies: theSenate of Western Continental Greece, theAreopagus of Eastern Continental Greece (sometimes referred to as "senate"), and thePeloponnesian Senate.
A unicameral body with purely advisory functions, the Senate was established in 1829 by theFourth National Assembly at Argos in replacement of thePanellinion, established the previous year. It had 27 members, 21 of whom were chosen by the Governor (Ioannis Kapodistrias) from 63 candidates nominated by the Assembly, and further six who were appointed directly by the Governor.[1]Georgios Sisinis was elected as its president. After Kapodistrias' murder in 1831, the Senate appointed a series of governing councils to lead the state. In 1832, theFifth National Assembly at Nafplion abolished the Senate, but the Senate refused to recognize the act, and survived until the arrival of KingOtto in February 1833.
The Senate as an upper chamber was established by theGreek Constitution of 1844. The Senate had 27 members, appointed for life by the King, who in addition could appoint further members up to one half of the statutory number. The Senate, seen as a reactionary body and essentially dependent upon the King, was abolished by theGreek Constitution of 1864.
On 2 January 1924, the Fourth National Assembly convened and decided the abrogation of the dynasty as well as the abolition of the crowned democracy (a decision which was ratified byreferendum on 13 April 1924), establishing theSecond Hellenic Republic.
Whilst the Fourth Constitutional Assembly was working towards the completion of the new Constitution, the coup d'état of GeneralTheodoros Pangalos took place. After the fall of his dictatorship in 1926, the "Parliament of the First Term" was elected, which, finally, voted through theConstitution of 1927.
Legislative power was exercised by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Chamber was made up of 200-300 members elected for a four-year term by direct, secret and universal ballot. The Senate was composed of 120 members elected for a nine-year term, but its synthesis was renewed every three years by 1/3. At least 9/12 of the senators were elected by the people, 1/12 by the Chamber and the Senate in a common session at the onset of each parliamentary term, whereas the remaining 2/12 were elected on the basis of a principle of representation of the professions.
In the event of disagreement between the two houses in the voting of a law, the Constitution established the supremacy of the Chamber's vote.
Another significant element was the explicit institution of the parliamentary system. For the first time, the Greek Constitution included a clause stating that the Cabinet must "enjoy the confidence of the Parliament".
The Second Hellenic Republic lasted until 1935. That year, as a result of afailed coup by the supporters of Venizelos, the military was purged, and the royalists, led byGeorgios Kondylis, launched asuccessful coup on 10 October [el]. The Constitution of 1927 was abolished, theConstitution of 1911 was re-instated, and KingGeorge II came back to the throne by areferendum.
