Conference of Presidents (Greece)

Last updated May 10, 2019

The Conference of Presidents is a collective institution of the Hellenic Parliament. Its role is to improve the functioning of Parliament through cooperation between the Speaker of the Parliament and the Presidents of the Committees. It was introduced by the Standing Orders of 1987 and found its constitutional sanction in the Amendment of 2001.

The Hellenic Parliament is the parliament of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The Parliament is the supreme democratic institution that represents the citizens through an elected body of Members of Parliament (MPs).

In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries.

The term basic law is used in some places as an alternative to "constitution", implying it is a temporary but necessary measure without formal enactment of constitution. A basic law is either a codified constitution, or in countries with uncodified constitutions, a law given to have constitution powers and effect. The name is usually used to imply an interim or transitory nature, or avoid attempting a claim to being "the highest law", often for religious reasons. In West Germany the term "Basic Law" (Grundgesetz) was used to indicate that the Basic Law was provisional until the ultimate reunification of Germany. But in 1990 no new constitution was adopted and instead the Basic Law was adopted throughout the entire German territory. Basic law is entrenched in that it overrides ordinary 'statute law' passed by the legislature.

Organization

The Conference of Presidents is made up of:

The Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament
The Deputy Speakers of the Hellenic Parliament
Former Speakers of Parliament (if they retain a seat)
The Presidents of the six Standing Committees
The President of the Special Standing Committee on Institutions and Transparency
The Presidents of the Parliamentary Groups
A Representative of independent MPs, in case they are five or more

The Speaker, properly the President of the Hellenic Parliament. The president's term coincides with the term of the assembly, and he or she is chosen by a vote during the opening session, after each legislative election. Following is a list of Speakers of the Hellenic Parliament or other national legislative bodies such as the Greek Senate, from the time of the Greek War of Independence till present. The official order of precedence ranks the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament in the 3rd position, after the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister.

The number of members of the Conference is not fixed, it fluctuates depending on the number of independent parliamentarians and Presidents of the standing Committees. It convenes regularly once a week and examines the daily agenda of the workings of the Parliament; it manages the transactions of the legislative body, it decides on the conduct of organized discussion and, generally, exercises every other responsibility assigned to it by the Constitution or the Standing Orders.

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