Professional politicians and political professions in the Greek Parliament

If the profession is viewed as an element of the skills that a representative possesses, the resources they can mobilize for their election, and the interests they potentially represent, then professional groups with varying dynamics of parliamentary representation and different political references over time can be identified.

Over the period covered by this study, it is observed that the initial numerical dominance of the legal profession has declined, while new professional categories gradually emerge, linked to public visibility but without becoming hegemonic. The new political professions of the domestic political class in the late post-dictatorship era are associated with popularity (mass-audience professions) or prestige (university faculty members), yet they do not appear to be strongly tied to political longevity.

Only lawyers were (and perhaps remain?) the sole true professionals in politics, in the sense of their – albeit declining – presence in sufficient numbers among representatives, their overrepresentation in the executive branch, and their ability to ensure political continuity for members practicing this profession within Parliament.

In contrast, other groups that emerge dynamically during the period examined either are not proportionally represented in the executive branch relative to their parliamentary presence and are not linked to political longevity (mass-audience professions), or, while having greater influence and presence in governments (university faculty members), do not exhibit the same stability in political duration.

Finally, for certain smaller professional groups (civil engineers/architects), there is a tendency for longer parliamentary tenure and election at a relatively young age, though with declining trends, particularly following the parliamentary rise of SYRIZA.