Greek court bars far-right party from election for ‘not respecting democracy’

ATHENS

The Greek Supreme Court barred the far-right National Party-Greeks from this month’s general election for “not respecting democracy,” according to a detailed ruling on the decision released on Wednesday.

Arguing that the party operates under the de facto leadership of Ilias Kasidiaris, imprisoned lawmaker of the banned neo-nazi Golden Dawn party, the court said: “The National Party-Greeks promotes the use of violence and a policy that does not respect democracy and aims for the weakening and destruction of the democratic state and the institutions of the rule of law.”

It added that Kasidiaris knew and fully adopted the transformation of the political party into a criminal organization.

Thus, the court said, the party should not participate in the general election on May 21.

Commenting on the decision, Kasidiaris said: "Tonight the democratic state has been definitively overthrown and half a million Greeks are deprived of the right to vote for the party of their choice.”

Reaction to court decision

Tuesday’s ruling spurred debate over which party will benefit most from the decision.

Speaking to public broadcaster ERT, Dimitris Mavros, director of major pollster MRB, said Kasidiaris’ voters will not go to the ruling conservative Nea Dimoktraia party as some have argued.

The largest percentage of anti-establishment votes of the party could go to the populist-nationalist Hellenic Solution party or the main opposition SYRIZA to punish the ruling party for the decision.

Government spokesman Akis Skertsos said, “The Supreme Court solemnly ruled that criminal organizations cloaked in the mantle of a political party cannot be tolerated in the electoral process. It is the duty of all of us to protect the republic.”

He added that the leftist opposition SYRIZA and MeRA25 did not support the government’s application to the court to prevent the National Party-Greeks from competing in the elections.

The social democratic opposition PASOK party said they respect the decision but are disappointed with the fact that another far-right party, EAN, on the contrary was allowed to participate.

The main opposition SYRIZA party has made no official statement on the matter, but daily Avgi, close to the party, said EAN, chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Anastasios Kanellopoulos, also promotes far-right extremist ideas.

MeRA25, led by former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, criticized the decision and the government’s position on it.

The ruling risks boosting far-right ideology in the country, it said, adding that barring parties from elections is no way to protect democracy.

The Greek Communist Party’s official daily Rizospastis decried how the far-right EAN party was given the green light while Kasidiaris was barred.

Communist parliamentary candidates claimed on the party’s 902.GR news outlet that the government and establishment parties are largely not serious about fighting Nazi ideology.

The legal amendment which enabled the court decision risks closing down any anti-establishment party in the future even without sufficient legal proof, warned some analysts.