32 Parties to Contest the Greek Elections on June 25

A total of 32 parties and party coalitions will run in the June 25 national elections, following the Greek Supreme Court’s decision released on Thursday.

Of the initial 44 parties, coalitions, and independent candidates that had submitted applications to the Court, 12 parties were rejected, including that of jailed neo-Nazi Ilias Kasidiaris.

Kasidiaris, 42, an MP from 2012-19, was sentenced, along with others, in October 2020 to 13 years as one of the leaders of a criminal organization, as Golden Dawn has been determined to be for its numerous, sometimes fatal, attacks against migrants and left-wing activists and other criminal activities.

He said on Thursday he would “vote and support with all my strength the party Spartans (Spartiates), which will enter Parliament powerfully and comprise the strongest national opposition.”

Kasidiaris and the party he founded, National Party-Greeks, had been banned from taking part in the previous national election, on May 21, because of a law targeting convicted Golden Dawn ex-MPs.

The parties that made the list and will run in elections include the last parliamentary session’s participants, after the first round of national elections on May 21: the former ruling New Democracy (Kyriakos Mitsotakis), former main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance (Alexis Tsipras), PASOK- KINAL (Nikos Androulakis), Communist Party of Greece (Dimitris Koutsoubas) and Greek Solution (Kyriakos Velopoulos).

Former Greek PM Mitsotakis raises third elections scenario

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized on Thursday that if his center-right party fails to win an outright majority in the June 25 election, then a third ballot is almost a foregone conclusion.

Essentially, the dilemma posed to voters by Mitsotakis is either ND secures an outright majority or another election will be called in August.

On May 21, New Democracy won 40.8% of the vote versus 20.1% for the leftist SYRIZA, in a stunning boost for Mitsotakis, who has had to deal with a wiretapping scandal, the COVID pandemic, a cost of living crisis and a deadly rail crash that enraged the public.

But it fell short of the number of seats needed to govern on his own.

Mitsotakis has promised a different cabinet, including more women, in case he wins an outright majority in the June 25 election, as current opinion polls indicate.

He said that one of the early bills in the new Parliament will be about policy, with cuts in a number of taxes and levies, and a higher taxable income threshold.

In an interview with Ant1, Mitsotakis said that, in contrast to his main rivals, the left-wing Syriza and the socialist PASOK, he has no hidden agenda, especially one of heavier taxation, as he accused his rivals of harboring. He said that he kept to his pre-election promises of 2019 during his first four-year term.

“New Democracy will continue the tax-cutting policy,” Mitsotakis declared during the interview.