Greece - April 2023

Greek Parliament approved an extension to the February legislation to ban the extreme-right National Party - Greeks from running in the May elections. The party is linked to the Golden Dawn, a far-right neo-Nazi political party and ultranationalist criminal organization, which was declared a criminal organization in 2020 for charges including murder, racist violence, and money laundering. The legislation also requires the Supreme Court to have a full plenary session to vote on the ban. It is the first time that MPs in Greece asked the Supreme Court to weigh the credentials of a party to compete in elections. The National Party-Greeks was founded by former lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris, who is currently serving a prison sentence over his leading role in Golden Dawn. The decision sparked some criticism as the ban comes just ahead of the national elections and the parliament’s dissolution before the Orthodox Easter break. Constitutional experts also accused the government of influencing the judiciary.

Sources: Ekathimerini, Voice of America, Politico