Greek legislative election, 1844

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Greek legislative election, 1844
Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg
  1843 June–August 1844 1847  

Party Leader% Seats±
Russian Party Andreas Metaxas 55
English Party Alexandros Mavrokordatos 28
Nonpartisans None 24
French Party Ioannis Kolettis 20
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Prime Minister beforePrime Minister after
Alexandros Mavrokordatos
English Party
Ioannis Kolettis
French Party

Parliamentary elections were held in Greece between June and August 1844. [1] Supporters of Andreas Metaxas emerged as the largest block in Parliament. [2] However, Ioannis Kolettis became Prime Minister on 18 August. [3]

Greece republic in Southeast Europe

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, self-identified and historically known as Hellas, is a country located in Southern and Southeast Europe, with a population of approximately 11 million as of 2016. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki.

Andreas Metaxas Greek politician

Andreas Metaxas was a Greek politician, fighter of the Greek War of Independence and diplomat from Cephalonia. He was prime minister of Greece from September 3, 1843 to February 16, 1844. The military leaders of the revolution gave him the ironic nickname of Conte Lalas due to his injury during the Battle of Lalas.

Ioannis Kolettis Greek politician

Ioannis Kolettis was a Greek politician who played a significant role in Greek affairs from the Greek War of Independence through the early years of the Greek Kingdom, including as Minister to France and serving twice as Prime Minister.

Contents

Background

During and after the Greek War of Independence (1821–29), a series of elections for national assemblies had taken place, and promulgated a series of liberal constitutions that enshrined democratic principles. Nevertheless, the Kingdom of Greece, established in 1832 under the Bavarian prince Otto, disregarded the existence of the 1832 Constitution passed by the Fifth National Assembly. From 1832 until 1835, the kingdom was ruled by a Bavarian regency, and after that by Otto as an absolute monarchy.

Greek War of Independence War of independence waged by Greek revolutionaries

The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution, was a successful war of independence waged by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1830. The Greeks were later assisted by the Russian Empire, Great Britain, and the Kingdom of France, while the Ottomans were aided by their North African vassals, the eyalets of Egypt, Algeria, and Tripolitania, and the Beylik of Tunis.

Kingdom of Greece kingdom in Southern Europe during the 19th and 20th century

The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 at the Convention of London by the Great Powers. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, where it also secured full independence from the Ottoman Empire. This event also marked the birth of the first fully independent Greek state since the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans in the mid-15th century.

Otto of Greece King of Greece

Otto was a Bavarian prince who became the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London. He reigned until he was deposed in 1862.

This situation lasted until the 3 September 1843 Revolution, when an uprising by the garrison and populace of Athens forced King Otto to concede elections for a constitutional assembly. The election was held on 17 September for the "Third of September National Assembly of the Greeks at Athens", and the new assembly promulgated the Greek Constitution of 1844 in February, after which it was dissolved and new elections proclaimed.

The 3 September 1843 Revolution, was an uprising by the Hellenic Army in Athens, supported by large sections of the people, against the autocratic rule of King Otto. The rebels, led by veterans of the Greek War of Independence, demanded the granting of a constitution and the departure of the Bavarian officials that dominated the government. The revolution succeeded, ushering the period of constitutional monarchy and universal suffrage in Greece.

Athens Capital and largest city of Greece

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.

Electoral system

The 1844 election was held by the Electoral Law of 18 March 1844, stipulating universal male suffrage over 25 years of age. Each of the Provinces of Greece was a separate constituency, and MPs were allocated by population: provinces with up to 10,000 inhabitants elected one MP, with up to 20,000 two, with up to 30,000 three, and over that four. In addition, the three islands that played a major role in the War of Independence, Hydra, Spetses and Psara—the latter still part of the Ottoman Empire and represented by the inhabitants who had fled to mainland Greece after the Destruction of Psara—exceptionally received the right to send MPs of their own, three for Hydra, and two for the other two islands. The professors of the University of Athens also elected one MP.

Provinces of Greece

The provinces of Greece were sub-divisions of some the country's prefectures. From 1887, the provinces were abolished as actual administrative units, but were retained for some state services, especially finance services and education, as well as for electoral purposes. Before the Second World War, there were 139 provinces, and after the war, with the addition of the Dodecanese Islands, their number grew to 147. According to the Article 7 of the Code of Prefectural Self-Government, the provinces constituted a "particular administrative district" within the wider "administrative district" of the prefectures. The provinces were finally abolished after the 2006 local elections, in line with Law 2539/1997, as part of the wide-ranging administrative reform known as the "Kapodistrias Project", and replaced by enlarged municipalities (demoi).

Spetses Place in Greece

Spetses is an affluent island and a municipality in the Islands regional unit, Attica, Greece. It is sometimes included as one of the Saronic Islands. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolidocorinthia, which is now split into Argolis and Corinthia. In ancient times, it was known as Pityoussa, and later as Petses.

Psara Place in Greece

Psara is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small island of Antipsara it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The only town of the island and seat of the municipality is also called Psara.

The electoral process lasted for six months, with various constituencies voting at different times from May (Old Calendar) until August. The whole process was dominated by bribery, violence and efforts to falsify the results. Ioannis Kolettis and his French Party came third, but formed the new government in coalition with the Russian Party. The new parliament convened for the first time in January 1845.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Russian Party 55
English Party 28
French Party 20
Independents24
Total127
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p829 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p853
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p865