How is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church governed?

An autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church is characterized by its total canonical and administrative independence, meaning it has the authority to elect its own primates and bishops.1

The governance of these churches is rooted in the principle of conciliarity, which places final authority in representative councils known as synods. Each autocephalous church is governed by its own synod of bishops, which acts as a fully independent unit for the consecration of new bishops and serves as a high ecclesiastical tribunal. The local primate—who may hold the title of patriarch, archbishop, or metropolitan—serves as the chairman of this synod.2314

While these churches are administratively independent, they maintain canonical relations and communion with one another. They operate under a traditional order of precedence, with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople holding an honorary primacy as a symbol of unity and cooperation. Although many autocephalous churches function as national churches, the fundamental norm of organization in the Eastern Orthodox tradition is the territorial principle.142