| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Vouli Ton Ellinon / Hellenic Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
16 September 2007 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament following the premature dissolution of this body on 17 August 2007. General elections had previously been held in March 2004. |
On 17 August 2007, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis called elections for 16 September, six months earlier than the official due date. Under his government, the country experienced economic growth (4.4 per cent in August 2007) and low unemployment. Despite a scandal involving the misuse of State pension funds, opinion polls predicted a victory for his centre-right New Democracy (ND) party, which had won 165 of the 300 seats in the previous elections held in March 2004, ending 11 years of uninterrupted power in the hands of the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK).
However, a week after the elections were called, massive forest fires broke out in southern Greece, which killed more than 65 people before the flames were extinguished over a week later. There was widespread criticism of the way in which the government responded to the emergency. The Prime Minister subsequently ordered aid for the victims, and pledged to rebuild their burned homes.
In all, 21 parties contested the 2007 elections. Both the ND and the PASOK pledged to implement social reforms. Shortly before the elections, the Government announced new social benefits, which reportedly boosted support for the ND. The Prime Minister called on voters to give his party the majority it needed to continue with the economic reforms.
Pre-election opinion polls showed increasing support for smaller political parties, such as the Communist Party (KKE), which had taken 12 seats in the 2004 elections, and component parties of the Coalition of the Left and Progress (SYN), which had won six seats in 2004. The SYN formed a new electoral coalition called the Coalition of the Radical Left (Sy.Riz.A), which included the Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI) and other leftist parties. The small far right-wing LAOS campaigned against Turkey's entry to the European Union, and promised to introduce immigrant quotas.
A total of 74.14 per cent of the 9.9 million voters turned out at the polls.
Five parties surpassed the three-per-cent threshold to win parliamentary representation. Prime Minister Karamanlis' ND won the elections with a diminished majority in parliament, taking 152 seats. The PASOK followed with 102 seats, losing fifteen. The KKE won 20 seats, while the Sy.Riz.A took 12 seats. The LAOS party won 12 seats, becoming the first far right-wing party to enter the parliament since the end of dictatorship in Greece in 1974. In all, 48 women were elected.
On 19 September, a new government formed by Mr. Karamanlis was sworn in.
On 26 September, the newly elected Parliament held its first session. On 27 September, Mr. Dimitrios Sioufas (ND) was elected as the new Speaker.
Note:
The Coalition of the Radical Left (Sy.Riz.A) included the following political parties:
Active Citizens
Communist Organization of Greece (KOE)
Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI)
Ecological Intervention
Internationalist Workers Left (DEA)
Kokkino
Movement for the United in Action Left (KEDA)
Popular Unions of Bipartisan Social Groups (LEYKO)
Renewing Communist Ecological Left (AKOA)
Synaspismos (SYN) |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 16 September 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
9'921'343
74.14%
7'159'817 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| New Democracy (ND) |
|
2'995'321 |
|
|
41.84 |
|
|
| Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) |
|
2'727'702 |
|
|
38.10 |
|
|
| Communist Party (KKE) |
|
583'768 |
|
|
8.15 |
|
|
| Sy.Riz.A |
|
361'216 |
|
|
5.05 |
|
|
| La.O.S |
|
271'761 |
|
|
3.80 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Gain/Loss |
|
|
|
| New Democracy (ND) |
152
|
-13 |
|
|
|
| Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) |
102
|
-15 |
|
|
|
| Communist Party (KKE) |
22
|
10 |
|
|
|
| Sy.Riz.A |
14
|
8 |
|
|
|
| La.O.S |
10
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
252
48
16.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Over 70 years
Unknown
|
3
26
71
116
48
5
31
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Legal professions |
70 |
| Educators |
34 |
| Medical professions (doctors, dentists, nurses) |
34 |
| Others |
33 |
| Economists |
32 |
| Engineers/PC experts |
25 |
| Media-related professions (journalists/publishers) |
22 |
| Scientists and researchers |
11 |
| Business/trade/industry employees, including executives |
10 |
| Civil/public servants/administrators (including social/development workers) |
9 |
| Architects |
6 |
| Liberal professions (including artists, authors) and sports professionals |
5 |
| Farmers/agricultural workers (including wine growers) |
4 |
| Military/police officers |
2 |
| Bankers (including invest bankers)/accountants |
2 |
| Consultants (including real estate agents) |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- http://www.ekloges.ypes.gr/
- Ministry of Interior (02.10.2007, 04.03.2008)
- Hellenic Parliament (01.01.2008) |
A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page