Fresh Try at Democracy

Modern Greeks still like to refer to their country as the cradle of democracy, but in fact Greek politics has rarely reflected Attica's ancient heritage. Scarcely had Greece won its independence from the Turks in the 1820s when the infant republic ended in a presidential assassination. The great powers protecting the new nation promptly imposed an absolutist King from Bavaria. Ever since, Greece's political history has seesawed between short periods of volatile republicanism and longer ones of oppressive authoritarianism.

Last week Greeks seemed to be willing to try--for the moment--a new constitution that strikes a delicate balance between the two. The first test of the constitution, adopted by the Greek Parliament earlier this month, was the parliamentary election of a new President with broad powers. The winner, with a comfortable 210 out of 300 votes, was Constantine Tsatsos, 76, the hand-picked nominee of Greece's Premier Constantine Caramanlis.

Power and Discipline. Tsatsos, a conservative intellectual and gifted speechwriter who has turned his talents loyally to Caramanlis' New Democracy Party, is expected to press Caramanlis' policies while the Premier stays on in Parliament to mold the party's power and discipline. Then, perhaps a year from now, Tsatsos is expected to resign his five-year term, allowing the New Democracy majority in Parliament to elect Caramanlis to the office.

That scenario is perfectly legal under the new constitution, which allows a two-thirds majority in Parliament to elect a replacement President to a full term. To Greece's parliamentary opposition, led by the Center Union-New Forces Party's George Mavros, it seems tailor-made for the paternalistic, De Gaulle-like Caramanlis, as do other articles in the document. Some of the most controversial provisions:

> The President appoints and can dismiss the government (the Premier and his ministers) without consulting Parliament. He can dissolve Parliament without consulting the government if he believes it does not reflect the national mood or deems it unstable, but he must call new elections within 30 days.

> The President can declare martial law and rule by decree for 30 days without Parliament's approval.

> Police are authorized to grant or refuse permits to public open-air meetings, a popular political forum in Greece. Police presence is also authorized at any meetings permitted. Denials of permits must be justified in writing.

In terms of presidential authority, the Greek constitution resembles the French, which also empowers the President to appoint his Premier, dissolve Parliament, and take unspecified measures in national emergencies. Yet despite resemblances to other democratic constitutions and despite Greece's historic instability, Mavros and other critics charge that the constitution as it stands endangers civil liberties and gives far too much power to the President. To dramatize their criticism, Mavros led opposition Deputies in a parliamentary walkout when the constitution was adopted, and nominated an opposition candidate for President, who subsequently received 65 votes. Still, Mavros concedes that the new constitution is "valid" and pledges to work to modify it in Parliament.

Out of Politics. New President Tsatsos, who drafted much of the document, explains that "it is a Greek constitution. It provides flexibility for our psychological dispositions. If a government receives a vote of confidence, there will be no more votes of confidence for six months so that Parliament can tend to its business." As for the power to dissolve Parliament, Tsatsos argues, "the people are the check. If the President misuses his power and cannot win a majority in the election he must call, he will be out of politics."

Like any blueprint for government, the viability of the new Greek constitution will depend heavily on those who enforce it. In that regard, Athens Publisher Helen Vlachos, who returned last year from a self-imposed exile during the colonels' dictatorship to revive her prestigious daily Kathimerini, is confident that it will work. Says Vlachos: "I know the people who drafted it. They are responsible, intelligent, dedicated Greeks. I trust them. Therefore I trust it."

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