Greece’s top court bans far-right party from general elections

Greek presidental guards perform in front of the greek parliament in Athens on March 2, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

ATHENS – Greece's Supreme Court has given the green light to a total of 36 parties, coalitions, and independents to run in the forthcoming May 21 general elections, but the far-right National Party-Hellenes (Greeks) was excluded, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Tuesday.

The ruling on National Party-Hellenes, founded by jailed former lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris, was based on a recent law that bans the participation in the electoral process of parties whose leadership has been convicted of crimes carrying a potential sentence of life imprisonment, such as running a criminal organization

The ruling on National Party-Hellenes, founded by jailed former lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris, was based on a recent law that bans the participation in the electoral process of parties whose leadership has been convicted of crimes carrying a potential sentence of life imprisonment, such as running a criminal organization.

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Kasidiaris has been convicted of directing a criminal organization as a leading member of the far- Right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) party.

Golden Dawn was represented in parliament in the period 2012-2019, riding on Greeks' anger over the acute debt crisis in the country. Its leadership and dozens of members were arrested in 2013 after the murder of an anti-fascist musician, and convicted in 2020.

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National Party-Hellenes could secure the 3 percent threshold needed to enter the next parliament, according to several recent opinion polls.