Voters in Greece sends not one but three far-right nationalist parties into the parliament

For the first time in nearly 50 years since the restoration of democracy in Greece, voters have elected not one but three far-right nationalist parties to the parliament. Collectively, these parties received 12.8 percent of the votes and secured a total of 300 seats in parliament.

One of the prominent parties among them is the Spartans, characterized by their logo featuring an ancient warrior’s helmet. The party was relatively unknown to the extent that local journalists were unaware of their office locations. They entered the political scene just two weeks before the general election held on Sunday.

However, the figure supporting the party, Ilias Kasidiaris, is well-known in Greece. He previously served as the spokesperson for the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, which was labeled a criminal organization and banned from participating in elections. Kasidiaris is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence, along with other Golden Dawn members, for various crimes, including the murder of an anti-fascist rapper.

Following his departure from Golden Dawn, Kasidiaris founded Hellenes, a party that was also initially prevented from running in the elections. Despite his criminal record, Kasidiaris’ endorsement led the Spartans to secure 140,000 votes and 12 seats in parliament. Party leader Vasilis Stigas expressed gratitude to Kasidiaris for his support, acknowledging him as the driving force behind their electoral success.

In addition to the Spartans, another established party with pro-Russia leanings, Greek Solution, received 230,000 votes, enabling them to elect 12 lawmakers. Led by former telesales marketer Kyriakos Velopoulos, the party first emerged during the 2019 European parliamentary election. Velopoulos had gained attention for promoting beeswax as a hair loss treatment on his television show, as well as showcasing letters allegedly written by Jesus Christ.

The third far-right party to secure seats is the anti-abortion Victory party, led by a theologian known for reciting psalms during his speeches. Their manifesto included a proposal to enforce monthly health, employment, and criminal record checks on immigrants, with failure to comply resulting in expulsion from Greece.

The rise of these far-right parties has raised concerns among some observers. Aristides Chatzis, a law professor at the University of Athens, wrote in Kathimerini daily that he had not anticipated the emergence of the most far-right parliament in recent Greek history and one of the most extreme in Europe. The support for these parties appears to be particularly strong in northern Greece, which has traditionally been a stronghold of right-wing politics. In six electoral districts in the northern Macedonia region, far-right parties received over 20 percent of the vote.