Trikoupis and the Dedilomeni Principle

Greek Political Parties in the reign of King George

Apr 24, 2009

The introduction of the principle of parliamentary majority, or dedilomeni, by Trikoupis in 1874 was a bid to bring about the modernization of Greek political parties.

The rising liberal politician and future prime minister of Greece, Charilaos Trikoupis, keen believer in the virtues of western liberalism, had no doubt that the establishment of a two-party system was the foundation of a modern parliamentary system. For him political modernization could be achieved only when the formation of government was entrusted to the party that could secure the declared (or dedilomeni, in Greek) confidence of the majority of parliament.

Greek Political Parties in the 19th Century

Since the creation of the Greek independent state in 1832, Greek political parties were nothing more than loose groupings coalescing around an influential leader with no defined principles, ideology or programme. Greek politicians were looked upon by voters to provide protection and favours; Greek politics and parties were personalistic and issueless. What’s more Greek political parties competed with each other for the King’s favour.

Both King George (r. 1863-1913) and King Otto (r. 1832-1862) before him retained the constitutional prerogative to appoint and dismiss ministers and governments at will. During the 19th century, Greek political leaders, eager to secure the King’s approval, showed little interest in forming stable coalitions and building broad political alliances. Between 1863 and Trikoupis’ electoral triumph in 1882 there was a staggering 34 governments that took office in Greece.

Trikoupis and the Principle of Parliamentary Majority

On 29 June, three days after the general election of 1874, Trikoupis published anonymously, in the Athenian newspaper “Kairoi”, his later celebrated article “Who is to blame?” In this the Greek politician blamed the chronic instability of the political system to the exercise of the royal prerogative of appointing and dismissing ministers: King George’s entrusting the formation of government to minority leaders perpetuated the existence of small, personalistic parties.

For Trikoupis only the implementation of the principle of parliamentary majority would produce a stable parliamentary system. The King had to accept the principle that the leader of the party which enjoyed the declared confidence (dedilomeni) of parliament should be given the mandate to form a government. This would encourage Greek political parties to coalesce as to be able to form a majority.

King George, Trikoupis and the Dedilomeni

With its attack on King George, the insinuation of revolution, the condemnation of the general election as fraudulent, the article caused uproar. Trikoupis revealed himself as the author and was consequently quizzed and detained on July 6. However, amidst public acclaim, the liberal politician was acquitted a few days later, having already published from prison a second article that castigated government corruption.

Tuned to the existing public discontent and in the wake of yet another governmental crisis in April 1875, King George called on Trikoupis to form a government. This was of course against the principle of dedilomeni but Trikoupis accepted with the aim to conduct fair elections and promote himself as a political leader. In the historical King’s Speech of 11 August 1875, written entirely by Trikoupis, King George accepted the principle of declared parliamentary majority, or dedilomeni.

In the following decades, Greece would enjoy the alternation in power of two political parties. However, as Tsoukalas has commented, despite his indomitable will to emulate western liberalism Trikoupis was doomed to suffocate beneath the personalized networks that dominated clientelistic politics in the 19th century.

Richard Clogg, Parties and Elections in Greece, Duke University Press, N. Carolina 1988.

John Koliopoulos & Thanos Veremis, Greece. The Modern Sequel, C.Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2007.

Evangelos Kofos, «Greek parliamentary politics, 1865-1866”, in History of the Greek Nation [Istoria tou Ellenikou Ethnous], Athens 1977, pp. 289-298 (in Greek)

Constantine Tsoukalas, “’Enlightened’ Concepts in the ‘Dark’: Power and Freedom, Politics and Society”, Journal of Modern Greek Studies, vol. 9 (1991), pp. 1-22.

The copyright of the article Trikoupis and the Dedilomeni Principle in Greek History is owned by Lito Apostolakou. Permission to republish Trikoupis and the Dedilomeni Principle in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.