Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes

Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes was a specific session of the Hellenic Parliament convened with the exclusive constitutional mandate to revise the Greek Constitution. It operated from October 2001 until March 2004, following the 2000 Greek legislative election that returned PASOK and Prime Minister Costas Simitis to power. This parliament was tasked with undertaking a comprehensive modernization of the nation's fundamental charter, a process that involved intense political negotiation and resulted in significant, though not sweeping, constitutional changes.

Background and Constitutional Mandate

The convocation of the Fifth Revisionary Parliament was a direct requirement of the Greek Constitution of 1975/1986, which stipulates that a parliament elected immediately after a national election can be declared "revisionary" to amend the constitution. This followed the precedent set by the Fourth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes in 1999. The initiative was driven by Costas Simitis and his PASOK government, which sought to modernize the state's institutional framework to align with European Union norms and contemporary social demands. The process required an enhanced parliamentary majority, specifically a three-fifths supermajority, for the revisions to be adopted, setting a high bar for cross-party consensus.

Composition and Political Landscape

The parliament was composed of the 300 deputies elected in the 2000 Greek legislative election, where PASOK secured a narrow majority of 158 seats. The main opposition was New Democracy, led by Kostas Karamanlis, with 125 seats. Smaller parties included the KKE and Synaspismos, which together held 17 seats. The Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament was Apostolos Kaklamanis of PASOK. Given the supermajority requirement, the government's 158 votes were insufficient, necessitating negotiation with opposition parties, particularly New Democracy, to reach the 180-vote threshold.

Key Revisions and Legislative Work

The parliament ultimately approved 79 amendments, which were consolidated into a single revised text. Major changes included the explicit constitutional protection of personal data and genetic identity, strengthening the independent authorities like the Greek Ombudsman, and enhancing the operational independence of the ERT public broadcaster. Significant reforms were made to the judicial system of Greece, including modifications to the composition and jurisdiction of the Supreme Special Court. Furthermore, the revisions facilitated the privatization of state-owned enterprises by removing constitutional obstacles and recognized the European Union's legal order as superior to Greek statute, though not to the constitution itself.

Political Dynamics and Major Debates

The revision process was characterized by protracted and often contentious negotiations between PASOK and New Democracy. Key areas of fierce debate included the proposed separation of Church and State, which was ultimately abandoned due to lack of consensus, and the method of electing the President of the Republic. Reforms concerning the educational system and the status of university asylum were also highly controversial and saw limited change. The role of smaller left-wing parties like Synaspismos was marginal, as the major parties sought a bilateral agreement, leading to criticism that the process was dominated by the two-party system.

Dissolution and Aftermath

The Fifth Revisionary Parliament completed its specific mandate with the promulgation of the revised constitution. It continued to function as the regular 9th Hellenic Parliament until its dissolution ahead of the 2004 Greek legislative election. The constitutional changes of 2001 are often viewed as an incremental modernization that fell short of the more radical reforms initially proposed by Costas Simitis. The election in March 2004 resulted in a victory for New Democracy and Kostas Karamanlis, marking a political shift. The revised constitution, known as the Greek Constitution of 1975/2001, remained in force until the subsequent revisions undertaken by the 7th Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes in 2008.

Category:Hellenic Parliament Category:2001 in Greece Category:2004 in Greece Category:Political history of Greece