SHARECountry Data
Greece (Hellenic Republic) has a Unicameral parliament with the use of voluntary party quotas and legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 63 of 300 (21%) seats in the Vouli Ton Ellinon / Hellenic Parliament are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Unicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? Yes
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? Yes
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Jul 5, 2022
Single/Lower House
Vouli Ton Ellinon / Hellenic Parliament
| Total seats | 300 |
| Total Women | 63 |
| % Women | 21% |
| Election Year | 2019 |
| Electoral System | List PR |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | The Constitution provides that ‘adoption of positive measures for promoting equality between men and women does not constitute discrimination on grounds of sex. The State shall take measures for the elimination of inequalities actually existing, in particular to the detriment of women (Article 116, para 2). |
| Electoral law | The Decision 65/2019 by the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece establishes 40% gender quota for the candidates at all electoral procedures (national, regional, municipal and European elections). This, modifies the previous article 34 of Presidential Decree 26/2012 which stated that, at least, one-third of political parties’ candidate lists, both for national and constituency lists, must be filled with candidates of each sex |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | If the gender quota requirement is not met, the party list is not accepted by the Supreme Court (Article 35 of Presidential Decree 26/2012). |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | The Article 116, paragraph 2, of the Greek Constitution states that positive measures taken to promote equality between men and women do not consist gender discrimination. The state shall ensure the promotion of the elimination of disparities, especially against women. |
| Electoral law | The Decision 65/2019 by the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece establishes 40% gender quota for the candidates at all electoral procedures (national, regional, municipal and European elections). This, modifies the previous article 34 of Presidential Decree 26/2012 which stated that, at least, one-third of political parties’ candidate lists, both for national and constituency lists, must be filled with candidates of each sex. |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | If the gender quota requirement is not met, the party list is not admitted (Article 19 (6) of Law 3852/2010). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | None |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement | Panellenio Sosialistiko Kimena [PASOK] | PASOK has a 40 percent minimum quota for women on party lists (Socialist International Women). |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional Information
Greece has implemented one-third gender quotas for women and men in all collective organs of public institutions, as well as for national commissions in the field of research and technology, provided that candidates are adequately qualified (Ministry of Interior, General Secretariat for Gender Equality).
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Greece (updated up to 2008);
- [Electoral Code regulating parliamentary elections, promulgated by Presidential Decree 26/2012] (in Greek);
- [Law 3852/2010 on local government, 7 June 2010] (in Greek)
- Decision 65/2019 by the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece
OTHER SOURCES:
-
Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Greece
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Greece on iKNOW Politics
- Anagnostou, D. (2018). The Protracted Struggle for Gender Quotas in Greek Politics: Constitutional Reform and Feminist Mobilization in the EU Context. In É Lépinard & R. Rubio-Marín (Eds.), Transforming Gender Citizenship: The Irresistible Rise of Gender Quotas in Europe (Cambridge Studies in Law and Society, pp. 157-185). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108636797.006
- Lalou, T. (2020). Gender inequalities in Greece: A critical discourse analysis on the 2016-2020 National Plan for Gender Equality in Greece. Umeå University.
- Kokkinidis, T. (March 7, 2021). Women in politics: Greece next to last in Europe. Greek Reporter [Last Accessed: 2021-10-26]
- Greece Parliament website, https://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en/