Greek and British Political Systems - Essay Example

Greek and British Political Systems Introduction: Greece is the country which brought the word democracy into English literature. Britain can claimto have the oldest systems of modern democracy in the world. In this context, it would be ideal to have a comparison between the two political systems of the two countries. In Greek, the word ‘demokratia’ means peoples’ power. “The ancient Greek word demokratia was ambiguous. It meant literally 'people-power'.” (Cartledge). According to the BBC, people’s power at that time may not mean the voice of the majority of people, but it could also mean the voice of the few people who controlled the land. Whatever the context that the word was used in ancient Greece, this paper compares the political systems that is followed in Greece and Britain in the present context. Greece – The Political System: System of governance: The country was ruled by a monarchy until a military dictatorship forced the king of the country to flee the country in 1967. A democratic form of government was created in 1974 along with the abolition of monarchy. “A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy.” (World Fact Book: Greece: Background). The country which is also known as the Hellenic Republic is qualified to be called a parliamentary republic. Constitution: The constitution of the country was created in 1975 soon after the country adopted a democratic form of government in 1974. it was in effect the adoption of the same constitution that was adopted from the one created in 1952, but removing all clauses that were related to monarchy. Amendments were made in 1986 and 2001. the constitution had causes that were similar to constitutions that were associated with democracies. Some of the major clauses were equality of Greeks, freedom of personality, the inviolability of home and private life, the right of petition, assembly and association, the right to work and unionise, the protection of the environment etc. (The Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes Resolves). Head of state: The head of state in Greece is the president. He is elected by secret ballot by the parliament and has limited powers. The maximum period that a person can be president is two years and during that time no other posts, positions or functions can be taken up. A two thirds majority is needed from the parliament to be elected to the post. The presidents powers are more representative of the country in nature and real powers of governance are vested with the prime minister and the Greek Parliament. Legislative Power: As in most democracies the legislative power rests with the Greek parliament headed by the prime minister. A parliament member can hold the term of office for a period of four years. There are 300 members in the parliament and election is though secret ballot. The president shall appoint the leader of the majority party as prime minister. Judiciary: The country has there types of judiciary namely the civil, criminal and administrative courts. The highest judiciary is the Supreme Court of the country known as Areios Pagos. Administrative Divisions: For the purpose of governance the country is divided into 51 administrative division or prefectures called nomos in Greek. Political Parties: The main political parties in the country is the ruling New Democracy party (New Demkratia), the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Others include the Coalition of the Left and the Progress (SYRIZA) and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.O.S). A comparison with the British Political System: System of governance: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland also includes Scotland and Wales. Unlike modern Greece, Britain is having an uneasy truce after a long period of violence with Ireland. Britain follows a system known as Constitutional monarchy. The country is one of the longest free states in the world starting from the 10th century. In comparison Greece is a parliamentary democracy or republic. Constitution: In spite of being one of the world’s oldest modern democracies, the country does not have a written constitution. In place of this it follows statutes, common law and practice. “unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice.” (United Kingdom Constitution). Head of State: As a constitutional monarchy, the head of state is the monarch or currently the Queen. Like Greece, the post is more representative in nature and the power is exercised the British Parliament. But unlike the Greek Prime minister, monarchy is for life and the next head of state will be the eldest child of the reigning monarch. Legislative Power: Legislative power is controlled by the House of Commons and the House of Lords. In Greece there is only one parliamentary house. The House of Lords has 618 members having 500 life peers, 92 elected peers and the remaining 26 being the clergy. The members of the House of Commons are elected by secret ballot just like the Greek political system. The prime minister who is the leader of the majority party is appointed by the head of state. In the case of Britain it is the monarch and in the case of Greece, it is the president. The period of the House of Commons is five years as compared to the four years in the Greek Parliament. Judiciary: The head of the judiciary in Britain is known as the Lord Chief Justice. Other judiciary bodies are the civil, family and criminal jurisdictions. There are also tribunals to try cases in specialized areas. Both countries’ laws are based on codified ancient Roman laws. “House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary.” (The World Fact Book: Government: Judicial Branch). Administrative Divisions: The administrative divisions are broken into 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities, 3 royal boroughs. This is a more elaborate division when compared to Greece. Moreover Britain still controls overseas territories like the Falklands, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, Sandwich Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands etc which are classified as dependent areas. In this sense Greece does not have any control over overseas territories. Political Parties: Like Greece there are only a handful of political parties. The main parties are the Labor Party and the Conservative Party. Others include Democratic Unionist party of Northern Ireland, Liberal Democrats, Sinn Fein and Ulster Unionist party. Greece has a larger number of communist or socialist parties whereas its influence in Britain is negligible. Bibliography Cartledge, Paul. The Democratic Experiment: What’s in a Word? Ancient History Greeks, BBC Home. 1 Jan. 2001. 15 May. 2008. . World Fact Book: Greece: Background. Central Intelligence Agency. 1 May. 2008. 15 May. 2008. . The Fifth Revisionary Parliament of the Hellenes Resolves. The Constitution of Greece. 15 May. 2008. . United Kingdom Constitution. Index Mundi. 2007. 15 May. 2008. . World Fact Book: Government: Judicial Branch. Central Intelligence Agency. 1 May. 2008. 15 May. 2008.15 May. 2008. . Read More