President of the Hellenic Republic Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας |
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Standard of the President
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Style | Excellency |
Residence | Presidential Mansion, Athens |
Appointer | Hellenic Parliament |
Term length | Five years renewable once |
Inaugural holder |
Ioannis Kapodistrias May, 1827 |
Formation | Constitution of Greece |
Salary | 138,732 € |
Website | http://www.presidency.gr/ |
The President of the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Próedros ti̱s Elli̱nikí̱s Di̱mokratías), colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the head of state of Greece. The President is elected by the Hellenic Parliament, and his role is mostly ceremonial since the 1986 constitutional reform. The office was formally established by the Constitution of Greece in 1975, but has antecedents in the Second Hellenic Republic of 1924–35 and the republic established by the Greek military junta in 1973–74. The incumbent, since 2015, is Prokopis Pavlopoulos, serving his first term in office.
The president is the nominal commander-in-chief of the Greek Armed Forces and occupies the first place in the country's order of precedence. Although the Greek Constitution of 1974 vested him with considerable powers on paper, in practice the president took a largely ceremonial role; the Prime Minister of Greece is the active chief executive of the Greek government and the country's leading political figure. The president's role was formally brought into line with actual practice by the 1986 constitutional amendment, which reduced his official powers.
According to Article 32 the Greek Constitution, the President is elected for a five-year term by the Hellenic Parliament in a special session at least a month before the incumbent's term expires. Voting takes place in two phases, each maximally of three ballots, separated by no more than five days.