First cabinet of Alexandros Papanastasiou

Cabinet of Alexandros Papanastasiou

1st Cabinet of the Second Hellenic Republic
Papanastasiou's cabinet
Date formedMarch 12, 1924 (1924-03-12)
Date dissolvedJuly 24, 1924 (1924-07-24)
People and organisations
RegentPavlos Kountouriotis
Prime MinisterAlexandros Papanastasiou
Total no. of members18
Member partyDemocratic Union -Democratic Liberals
Status in legislaturecoalition government
Opposition partyLiberal Party
Opposition leaderGeorgios Kafantaris
History
Election1923 Greek legislative election
PredecessorCabinet of Georgios Kafantaris
SuccessorFirst Cabinet of Themistoklis Sofoulis

The first cabinet of Alexandros Papanastasiou (March–July 1924) was the first government of the Second Hellenic Republic.

Alexandros Papanastasiou, one of the most ardent anti-monarchists of the time, assumed the leadership of the government immediately after the fall of the Kafantaris government. 13 days after taking office, he proclaimed the establishment of a republic in Greece.

More specifically, at the National Assembly session of 24 March 1924, the government of Papanastasiou in the absence of the representatives belonging to Kafantaris' Liberal faction, and with the support of the representatives belonging to Andreas Michalakopoulos and Themistoklis Sofoulis, received the confidence of the Parliament, with 259 votes.

At the end of the vote, the Speaker of the Parliament, Konstantinos Raktivan, announced to the people, who, gathered in and outside the Parliament, the dethronement of the Glücksburg dynasty and the establishment of the Republic. The next day, 25 March 1924, 283 deputies ratified the Resolution on the Deposition of the Dynasty and the Proclamation of the Republic («Ψήφισμα περί εκπτώσεως της Δυναστείας και ανακηρύξεως της Δημοκρατίας»).

The resolution was approved by the Greek people in the referendum of 30 April 1924.

On 8 June 1924, Georgios Kondylis, followed by the ministers Georgios Roussos, Aristomenis Mitsotakis and Emmanouil Tsouderos, resigned from the government. Kondylis cited Papanastasiou's indifference to the action within the army of the pro-communist organization Veteran Soldiers Union; Tsouderos, because his recommendations on finances were rejected; Roussos was not excused; while Mitsotakis cited authoritarianism on the part of Papanastasiou and his disagreement with the bill "on exchange controls".

Papanastasiou reacted by reshuffling his cabinet, with the tacit support of Andreas Michalakopoulos. However, dissatisfaction was growing, and on 19 July 1924 the government lost Parliament's confidence and Papanastasiou resigned.