New Democracy MP Konstantinos Bogdanos was expelled from the parliamentary faction of the ruling New Democracy Party following his harsh anti-communist rhetoric in parliament.
In a speech given by the deputy on the rostrum of parliament, he, among other things, said that the communists pose a greater threat to Greece than Turkey.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is in Slovenia for an informal meeting of the European Council and at the EU-Western Balkans summit on Wednesday, was briefed on Bogdanos’s statement and decided to expel him from the party.
Three weeks ago Bogdanos was warned by ND management after he tweeted the names of children of migrants attending a kindergarten in Athens, thus naming them as a target for extremists.
This is far from the first ultra-right statement by a zealous anti-communist and racist. His numerous speeches where he spoke out against Russia attracted favorable attention to him from the US Embassy, but in connection with the latest changes in the policy of this country, it was decided to “drain” the deputy as an overly odious person.
Dendias vs. Bogdanos
Bogdanos’ inflammatory comments about anti-communism, the Greek civil war and the Communist party of the KKE have sparked a strong reaction among MPs from several parties who discussed the Greek-French protection pact in the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and defense.
Foreign Secretary Nikos Dendias, who very angrily declared that the country’s painful history was becoming a thing of the past, and sharply criticized the deputy for his connections with the convicted neo-Nazis of the Golden Dawn:
“On behalf of the government, I want to emphasize that we are not here to return to the country’s bad past, but to discuss the survival of the Motherland and its future. I don’t know who was at the event in Vitsi… I say today that any attempt to project the country’s painful moments in favor of partisanship in modern life is unacceptable. And an alliance with Kasidiaris [Один из лидеров ультраправой “Золотой Зари”, находящийся сейчас в тюрьме] unacceptable. And laying a wreath with the Golden Dawn is also unacceptable. It’s time to get serious at a time when the country is facing a national threat. And while I represent the government as minister, such attempts will not be allowed again in this room so that we can all come to an agreement. We are not evaluating the past here. “
Earlier, Bogdanos, among other things, said that “anti-communism is a liberal choice, which is our right. Nobody can make us happily say “Republic of North Macedonia”. Why? Because we have the right to talk about the state of Skopje … ”.
Syriza’s leftist MP Sia Anagnostopulu called on the participants “and the minister to condemn the post-war rhetoric against the KKE” and called the controversial MP “extreme right.”
“He seems upset that his fellow fascists have been caught and found a place to pour out the anti-communist poison. We know each other, this place is full of communist blood, ”said the parliamentary representative of the KKE, Tanasis Pafilis, adding that Bogdanos is the same as the Golden Dawn.
SYRIZA MP Todoris Dritsas also intervened, noting that “Bogdanos attended the hate rally in Vitsi along with royalists and representatives of the Golden Dawn.”
“This behavior is unacceptable.”
Government sources told state news agency Amna after the deputy was expelled from the party, they warned that they would not tolerate such behavior in the future.
“For the Prime Minister, fundamental issues are not subject to discussion. Last time we showed a yellow card [Богданосу], we were sure of that. Unacceptable views that go beyond the value and ideological system of the ND and refer to the times of the split have no place among modern European center-right. We look forward, others look back, ”the government said.
ND retains the majority
It is not known whether the New Democracy will demand that the expelled deputy be expelled from the number of deputies, and if so, whether he will actually do this or retain the status of an independent deputy.
Nevertheless, the New Democracy retains its majority – now – 157 seats in parliament of 300 people.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis expels a deputy from the party for the first time in two years of rule.
PS What is remarkable about this whole issue is that the deputy was clearly expelled at the request of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who is slowly but gradually becoming a leader in the “New Democracy”.
In the recent past, we said that part of the ND is unhappy with the presence of government ministers and far-right legislators and is trying to restore its former center-right profile.
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