The consignment "Greeks" challenged the election ban

On Friday, the former assistant prosecutor of the Supreme Court was named the new leader of the far-right Hellenes (Greeks) party, which is trying to circumvent a ban on its participation in the upcoming general elections.

The participation of the Hellenes party could potentially change the outcome of the May 21 parliamentary elections as the poll gap between the leading incumbent New Democracy and the left-wing opposition SYRIZA narrows.

The Greek Party is fighting for the nomination despite a ban approved by the Greek Parliament in February on the grounds that party founder Ilias Kasidiaris is serving a 13-year prison sentence on politically motivated charges.

Kasidiaris founded the “Party of the Greeks” after the sentencing in 2020. He was convicted as a leading member of the far-right Golden Dawn (Chrisi Avgi) party, which was accused of attacking migrants and killing a left-wing political activist. The party was founded as a neo-Nazi group in the 1980s, but later changed its ideological focus, and its leaders claimedthat represent a broader nationalist ideology.

Former Supreme Court assistant prosecutor Anastasios Kanellopoulos, 75, succeeded him on Friday as leader of the Greek Party and announced plans to revise the party’s charter.

In an online post, Kasidiaris welcomed the leadership change, adding that he plans to seek a parliamentary seat in next month’s elections. Greek law allows most prisoners to retain their political rights.

According to the polls, the “Party of the Greeks” is currently gaining votes well above the 3% threshold required to gain representation in Parliament, which is of great concern to Greek politicians. On Friday, government officials said they would introduce legislative amendments next week to expand the ban on the Greeks’ party in the elections. The Greek Supreme Court has set a May 5 hearing on whether the Greek party falls under the electoral ban.

“There should be no place for knife-wielding neo-Nazi criminal organizations to defraud the Greek justice system,” government spokesman Yiannis Ikonomou told Skai TV late Thursday. “There is sufficient basis to deny any criminal organization – no matter what disguise it chooses to wear – the (opportunity) to seek a citizen’s vote…but we remain ready to make any (legal) necessary changes.”

The issue for the Supreme Court will be difficult, because in the event of a decision to ban the party in the current edition, they will have to violate the fundamental provisions of the Greek Constitution, and also show the whole world that there is no democracy in the country.

It is worth noting that, as in 2012, against the backdrop of the disappointment of Greek citizens (this is a pan-European trend) in traditional political parties, more and more voters are ready to vote for the ultra-right, who promise to correct that extremely difficult situation, despite the varnished pictures presented by the authorities, in which Greece, according to them, was plunged by the left and the so-called. conservatives.

According to polls, the “Greeks” party today has a chance to get at least 4.5% of the vote in the national elections, and potentially up to 7% or more. It is not yet known what the Greek authorities will do if Ilias Kasidiaris becomes a member of parliament again. Previously, Parliament adopted solutionsdesigned to ban him from participating in the elections, but after a clever feint with the replacement of the party leader, the situation changed radically.

Elections in Greece will start on May 21 and will likely last until mid-summer, according to timetable published at the end of March this year.

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