Panayiotis Psomiadis, the former governor of Central Macedonia who is coordinating New Democracy’s election campaign in northern Greece, has reportedly told journalists that he is “not bothered” by neo-Nazi Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) and is in talks with some of its members to move to the conservative party.

Psomiadis spoke with journalists during a campaign stop in Thrace, where he was asked about the recent incident during which Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris punched Communist Party candidate Liana Kanelli on live TV.

“Personally, I’m not bothered by Chrysi Avgi, apart from any extreme behaviour, which I condemn,” said Psomiadis, who was brought back into the ND fold for these elections after losing his post last year after being found guilty of cancelling a fine for a gas station while he was Thessaloniki prefect.

Psomiadis is then reported to have told reporters that ND would perform well in Thrace as it was attracting support from “sibling center right parties” such as Democratic Alliance, Independent Greeks, Drasi and Chrysi Avgi. He added that he was in talks with members of the far right part in a bid to convince them to move to ND.

SYRIZA responded to press reports of Psomiadis’s comments by saying that they “can only fill with fear citizens with the slightest democratic sensitivities.”

The leftists and New Democracy had clashed earlier when the conservatives accused SYRIZA of placing a candidate on its election list that had spoken out in favor of an armed rebellion.

ND said SYRIZA included Ifikratis Amyras, who is seen in a video available online calling on small groups of people to use “Moltov cocktails, knives and clubs” against the “forces of occupation”, in its list of candidates.

SYRIZA responded by saying that Amyras had nothing to do with the party but ND spokesman Yiannis Michelakis insisted that the leftists should make it clear if they had ousted him from the party.