Prosecution may alter Parliament composition
The prosecution of 11 MPs of the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party for voter fraud on Thursday may radically change the composition of Parliament.
According to the prevailing scenario, if the Spartiates are found guilty of participating illegally in the elections, their percentage will be divided proportionally among the other parties, with ruling New Democracy getting up to six additional seats, while SYRIZA would get three, PASOK would receive one or two, while KKE, Course for Freedom, and possibly Niki, would get one each.
The 11 MPs are accused of illegally receiving the support of and direct guidance from Ilias Kasidiaris, the former deputy leader of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group, who is currently incarcerated.
Kasidiaris himself is accused of incitement to commit fraud, along with one of his lawyers, Sotirios Metaxas, who is accused of complicity in deceiving the electorate. Kasidiaris, through a statement by his lawyer Vaso Pantazi, has denied any wrongdoing, saying that the case was “a joke.”
The Spartiates barely registered in polls before the June 2023 election until Kasidiaris endorsed the party from his prison cell. Under the law, parties cannot run in elections if their “real leaders,” not only their official representatives, have been convicted for crimes that carry a sentence of up to life imprisonment, ranging from treason or spying to participating in a criminal organization.
