A referendum on becoming a republic was held in
Greece on 13 April 1924.
Dieter Nohlen
Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An expe ...
& Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p830 It followed the catastrophic outcome of the
Asia Minor Campaign. As a result of the military defeat,
King Constantine I
Constantine I ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army ...
was forced to abdicate (27 September 1922) in favor of his son,
King George II. King George himself later went into exile in the
Kingdom of Romania, the home of his wife
Elisabeth of Romania
Elisabeth of Romania (full name ''Elisabeth Charlotte Josephine Alexandra Victoria'': ro, Elisabeta a României, el, Ελισάβετ της Ρουμανίας; 12 October 1894 – 14 November 1956) was a princess of Romania and member of t ...
, while the government debated the fate of the monarchy. Ultimately, a plebiscite was called. This referendum, following the restoration of Constantine I in 1920, reflected the see-saw nature of the Greek electorate and the then-present dominance of the
Liberal and Republican
Venizelists
Venizelism ( el, Βενιζελισμός) was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid-1970s.
Main ideas
Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were:
*Greek irredentism: T ...
in Greek politics and abolished the Crown.
In the lead up to the referendum, Prime Minister
Alexandros Papanastasiou favoured the vote for the Republic, while
Venizelos Venizelos () is a Greek surname. It may refer to:
* Eleftherios Venizelos (1864–1936), Greek politician
* Sofoklis Venizelos (1894–1964), Greek politician, son of the above
* Evangelos Venizelos (born 1957), Greek politician, unrelated to the ...
kept a neutral stance. Nonetheless, on 25 March 1924 the
Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed by parliament.
Results
References
1924 referendums
Plebiscite
1920s in Greek politics
Referendums in Greece
Second Hellenic Republic
Republicanism in Greece
History of Greece (1909–1924)
Monarchism in Greece
Constitutional referendums
Monarchy referendums
April 1924 events
Alexandros Papanastasiou
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