Greece’s new parliament sworn in following conservative party’s election victory

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Greece’s New Parliament Sworn In Following Conservative Party’s Election Victory
Greek politicians take the oath during the swearing-in ceremony of the new parliament, © Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
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By Elena Becatoros, Associated Press

Greece’s new MPs were sworn in on Monday, just over a week after a general election which saw a number of smaller fringe parties from both the right and left of the political spectrum enter Parliament for the first time.

The 300 members of parliament were inducted during a religious ceremony after the June 25 polls returned conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to power for a second four-year term in a landslide victory, crushing the left-wing opposition Syriza party and prompting opposition leader Alexis Tsipras to announce his resignation.

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Mr Mitsotakis’s New Democracy party now holds a comfortable parliamentary majority, with 158 seats compared with Syriza’s 48.


Greece Politics
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was elected to a second four-year term in a landslide victory (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)

Three far-right parties and one representing the far left reached the 3% minimum threshold for parliamentary seats. Only one of them has been in Parliament before.

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On the right of the political spectrum, two newly-appearing parties are the Spartans and the ultra-religious Niki party.

The Spartans, who won a 4.7% share of the vote and hold 12 parliamentary seats, are led by Vassilis Stigas and backed by jailed Ilias Kasidiaris, a former prominent member of the now-outlawed Golden Dawn party which had neo-Nazi origins and connections to multiple violent attacks targeting migrants and left-wing political activists.

Tougher regulations were introduced on election eligibility to block Mr Kasidiaris from running as a candidate from inside prison. A party he had founded from behind bars was disqualified, and he switched his support to the Spartans.


Greece Politics
Greek politicians take the oath during a swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Athens (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)

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Niki, or Victory, with just under 3.7% of the vote, holds 10 seats and is led by 58-year-old primary school teacher and theologian Dimitrios Natsios. It draws support from the fringes of the powerful Greek Orthodox church and gained a following over its opposition to the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The third fringe right-wing party is Elliniki Lysi, or Greek Solution, which returned to Parliament with 4.4% of the vote and 12 seats.

It is led by Kyriakos Velopoulos, known for his Greek regional television station broadcasts focused on historical and religious themes and alternative therapies.

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On the left, Plefsi Eleftherias, or Passage to Freedom, sailed into Parliament with just enough votes to meet the threshold – 3.17% – winning eight seats. It is led by Zoe Konstantopoulou, a former Syriza member who used to be the parliament speaker.

Known for her fondness for marathon parliamentary sessions when she was directing the debates, the 46-year-old lawyer announced on election night that although her party had won only eight seats, “I am worth 100, and the others are each worth another 20”.

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