Parliamentary Elections in Greece - 16 September 2007.

GREECE at the POLLS

Fact Sheet

Seeking a fresh mandate, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis announced on August 18th an early general election. The poll will take place on September 16th, 2007, six months ahead of schedule.
Twenty-one (21) political parties and eighteen (18) independent candidates are taking part in this election.
The number of registered voters is 9.824.223 and there will be a total of 20.509 polling stations throughout Greece.

Electoral System
The electoral process is regulated by the 1975 Greek Constitution (revised in 2001), as well as relevant electoral legislation, recently codified by presidential decree 96/2007.

Parliamentary Seats and Constituencies

The Parliament of Greece is composed of a single chamber (Vouli ton Ellinon), with 300 members elected for a four-year term, in 56 constituencies. 288 of the 300 seats are determined by constituency voting and voters may select the candidate(s) of their choice on the party ballot, by marking a cross next to their name(s). The maximum number of crosses allowed on the ballot depends on the number of seats contested. The remaining 12 “State Deputy” seats are allocated on a top-down basis, according to the total share of the vote each party receives nationwide.

Constituencies in Greece have traditionally been multi-seat, and they mostly coincide with the boundaries of Prefectures (counties). Population changes have left eight prefectures with a single parliamentary seat each, while other constituencies have seen large increases in their seat allotment over the years. There are 48 multi-seat and 8 single-seat constituencies, plus the 12-member nationwide constituency.

Overall, each of the country’s prefectures forms a single constituency, bar the following exceptions:

A) Prefecture of Attica, divided into five (5) constituencies:a) First Athens Constituency, consisting of the Municipality of Athens
b) Second Athens Constituency, comprising the remaining municipalities and communities in the Athens region
c) First Piraeus Constituency, consisting of the Municipality of Piraeus, the Municipality of Spetses, and the administrative divisions of Aegina, Kythera, Troizena and Hydra
d) Second Constituency of Piraeus, comprising the remaining municipalities and communities in the Piraeus region and the island of Salamis
e) Attica Constituency

B) Prefecture of Thessaloniki, divided into two (2) constituencies:a) First Thessaloniki Constituency, consisting of the Municipality of Thessaloniki
b) Second Thessaloniki Constituency, comprising the remaining area of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki

The number of parliamentary seats allocated to each constituency is determined by its population size, as indicated in the latest census. Currently, the number of parliamentary seats for each constituency and the number of preference crosses for candidates in the party ticket, are as follows:

Α/Α	Constituencies	Total of seats	Preference Crosses
1	Prefecture of Evros	4	up to 2
2	Prefecture of Rhodopi	3	1
3	Prefecture of Xanthi	3	1
4	Prefecture of Drama	3	1
5	Prefecture of Kavala	4	up to 2
6	Α΄ Thessaloniki	16	up to 4
7	Β΄ Thessaloniki	7	up to 2
8	Prefecture of Serres	7	up to 2
9	Prefecture of Halkidiki	3	1
10	Prefecture of Kilkis	3	1
11	Prefecture of Pella	4	up to 2
12	Prefecture of Imathia	4	up to 2
13	Prefecture of Pieria	4	up to 2
14	Prefecture of Florina	2	1
15	Prefecture of Kozani	5	up to 2
16	Prefecture of Kastoria	2	1
17	Prefecture of Grevena	1	1
18	Prefecture of Ioannina	5	up to 2
19	Prefecture of Arta	3	1
20	Prefecture of Thesprotia	1	1
21	Prefecture of Preveza	2	1
22	Prefecture of Larissa	8	up to 3
23	Prefecture of Magnesia	5	up to 2
24	Prefecture of Trikala	5	up to 2
25	Prefecture of Karditsa	5	up to 2
26	Prefecture of Corfu	3	1
27	Prefecture of Lefkada	1	1
28	Prefecture of Kefallinia	1	1
29	Prefecture of Zakynthos	1	1
30	Prefecture of Aetolia-Akarnania	8	up to 3
31	Prefecture of Achaia	9	up to 3
32	Prefecture of Elia	6	up to 2
33	Prefecture of Fthiotis	5	up to 2
34	Prefecture of Evrytania	1	1
35	Prefecture of Phocis	1	1
36	Prefecture of Viotia	4	up to 2
37	Prefecture of Evia	6	up to 2
38	Α΄ Athens	17	up to 4
39	Β΄ Athens	42	up to 4
40	A΄ Piraeus (Municipality of Piraeus, including Aegina, Kythira, Methana, Poros, Spetses, Troizenia, Hydra, Angistri and Antikythera)	6	up to 2
41	Β΄ Piraeus (Remainaing municipalities and communities of the Piraeus Municipality including the island of Salamis)	8	up to 3
42	Prefecture of Attica	12	up to 3
43	Prefecture of Corinthia	4	up to 2
44	Prefecture of Argolis	3	1
45	Prefecture of Arcadia	3	1
46	Prefecture of Messinia	5	up to 2
47	Prefecture of Lakonia	3	up to 1
48	Prefecture of Lesvos	3	1
49	Prefecture of Chios	2	1
50	Prefecture of Samos	1	1
51	Prefecture of Cyclades	3	1
52	Prefecture of Dodecanese	5	up to 2
53	Prefecture of Chania	4	up to 2
54	Prefecture of Rethymnon	2	1
55	Prefecture of Heraklion	8	up to 3
56	Prefecture of Lasith	2	1

Table 1: Constituencies and Seats

Electoral law

Parliamentary elections and polling dates are announced by a Presidential Decree within 30 days of the end of the Parliamentary term or the dissolution of the Assembly. MPs are elected by direct and universal ballot in a single round of voting for party tickets (and preferential voting within each ticket).

The new electoral law (3231/2004), to be applied for the first time in this election, is proportional and retains the so-called “3% threshold” provision that any single party must receive at least a 3% nationwide vote tally in order to be represented in Parliament. The law in its current form favours the first past the post party to achieve an absolute majority (151 out of 300 parliamentary seats), since it receives a premium of 40 parliamentary seats. The remaining 260 seats are distributed proportionally, according to each party’s total share of valid votes.

Parties obtaining at least 3 per cent of the votes cast receive a minimum of six seats in parliament.
The 12 "State Deputies" are elected from a party list according to a proportional representation system, with the whole country being regarded as one constituency. Vacancies arising between general elections are filled by the "next-in-line" candidate on the same party list.

Voting System

Polling takes place on Sundays in school buildings. The number of voters in any polling station may not exceed 800, and voters must produce valid identification (identity card or passport) in order to vote.

Traditionally, voting takes place between 7am and 7pm; individual stations, however, may prolong voting time, if there are still voters queuing up to vote.

Voters may select specific candidates on the party ticket of their choice by marking a cross next to the candidate name or names. The maximum allowable number of crosses on the ballot paper depends on the number of seats contested. Ballots with more crosses than the maximum number allowed, or without any cross, are counted in the total party tally but are disqualified during the second part of tallying, i.e. the determination of which individual candidate is elected to a seat already won by the candidate's party.

Once on-the-spot tallying is over and the tallies reported officially, the ballots are sealed and transported to the Central Election Service of the Interior Ministry. There ballots are recounted, mainly in order to ascertain the validity or invalidity of the few ambiguously marked ballot papers. Any unresolved matters following this recount are referred to a special Election Court (Eklogodikeion), which adjudicates and then officially publishes the names of elected MPs.

Electorate

All Greek citizens in full possession of their civil rights, who are 18 years or over on the date of the election and are on the electoral register, have the right to vote.

Voting is compulsory (with certain exceptions) until the age of 70, but following the constitutional revision of 2001, no sanctions are foreseen in case of abstention.

Voters residing in a constituency other than that in which they are registered, are entitled to vote in their place of residence, provided they had previously registered with their local authority in order to be included in a separate electoral roll.

Eligibility for election

All Greek citizens who are 25 years of age or more on election-day and are entitled to vote also have the right to stand for election to Parliament.

Candidates may stand for election independently or as members of a political party.

Electoral campaigns

Broadcast Media are obliged by law to transmit political party advertising free of charge as well as news relating to their political campaigning in News Bulletins. The time allotted to each party is proportional to the parliamentary strength, and the same regulations (no cost – proportionality) apply to poster advertisements in public areas.

All promotional activity is prohibited on the day before the elections and on Election Day.

Opinion polls

According to recent legislation (“Opinion Polls” Law 3603/2007), it is prohibited to carry out opinion surveys on voter’s intentions and to publish or broadcast public opinion polls in the last 15 days prior to Election Day, which is always on a Sunday. The same restriction applies to broadcasting and publication, by political parties or candidates, of any public opinion survey.
Exit Polls are allowed on Election Day, but results can only become public after polls close.

However, surveys may be carried out during this period (i.e. the fortnight prior to Election Day) on behalf of, and for the exclusively private use of, political parties only.