"Our far-right people"
Dear Member,
This is our weekly round-up from Greece.
Two arrests have been made about journalist Giorgos Karaivaz's murder; it was reported on Friday, with no further details being released. The Citizen Protection Minister attacked those who have been casting doubt on the Government as to the case.
The two biggest parties, ND and SYRIZA, made big electoral promises this week.
Highly suspicious moves by far-right parties to secure participation in the forthcoming elections have been reported. Fears have been expressed that they could finally end up participating in disguise. This is happening due to the highly problematic legislation the Interior Minister passed. However, some of the Minister's connections suggest he was the wrong person for this task.
The Top Public Prosecutor admitted that he would have obstructed an investigation by Independent Authority ADAE in the context of the wiretapping scandal had he known in time. At the same time, the mainstream media attacked ADAE's president for doing his job.
Far-right machinations with elections ahead
A total of 50 parties, party coalitions, and individuals submitted applications (Opens in a new window) to Greece's Supreme Court for approval to run in the May 21 national elections, more than double the number (24) of those offered in the last general elections in 2019.
There are some worrying developments regarding the far-right parties. The Government has passed some amendments to exclude ex-Golden Dawn leading figure Ilias Kasidiaris's party Ellines from running. After this legislation was passed, a former Top Court Areios Pagos deputy public prosecutor Anastasios Kanellopoulos appeared as the new head of 'Ellines' instead of Kasidiaris, apparently to 'pass' the provision that a convicted under certain charges person cannot lead a party.
The developments did not stop there, however. A lawsuit was filed (Opens in a new window) against Kasidiaris for using the name 'Ellines' for his party (now appearing to be led by retired brigadier Dimitris Hatziliadis) as the plaintiff claims he has been running a party under the same name since 2012.
It was then that Kanellopoulos filed his candidacy as party leader, but surprisingly now for a different party - called EAN.
So, what's the case here? Well, if the Top Court rejects the lawsuit against Kasiadiaris's party regarding the name, then on May 2, the judges will have to rule whether it is constitutional for the ex-Golden Dawn leading figure's party to run for elections, according (Opens in a new window) to reports. They will also have to evaluate whether Kasidiaris and Kanellopoulos were politically divorced or whether this was just a way forward in the case the court bans Kasidiaris's party. Thus, there is suspicion that if 'Ellines' is banned, their members will find political shelter under Kanellopoulos's EAN.
According to Kathimerini (Opens in a new window), EAN cannot be excluded unless there is evidence that Kasidiaris is behind it.
In any case, we have analyzed why the amendments aiming to ban Kasidiaris's party have done more harm than good to democratic procedures. "But there is worse than that," veteran journalist Dimitris Psarras, who has been investigating the far-right in Greece and Europe for 40 years, explained in an article (Opens in a new window) for the daily Efsyn.
Interior Minister Makis Voridis, who has undertaken the task of banning the neo-Nazi party, is the most inappropriate for the role, Psarras said. "Not only for his well-known far-right past but also because when he first became a minister in November 2011 under the Papadimos government, he attended to appoint at the ministry his close associates from the Le Pen-influenced' Hellenic Front' [i.e., Voridis served as head of this party], among them the lawyer Ioannis Zografos."
Then SYRIZA spokesman (now EU Parliament vice-president) Papadimoulis filed a Parliamentary question on the matter, which Voridis never answered.
"We would find this Voridis's close associate later as defense lawyer of the Golden Dawn leading figures. The most important thing was not that he ended up defending hard-core Golden Dawn Lagos together with [known Neonazi] Kostas Plevris but that he was in the lead for establishing Lagos's organization ELASYN and succeeded Lagos to [the party's] leadership just before [Lagos's] arrest and imprisonment.
" Zografos is today ELASYN' leader' instead of Lagos, like Kanellopoulos, is 'leader' in Kasidiaris's organization," Psarras concluded.
This is how deeply the far-right has infiltrated Greek politics.
Why would a prosecutor obstruct an investigation into a massive scandal?
"I didn't even know there was going to be an audit [to telecommunications provider Cosmote by Independent Anti-Corruption Authority ADAE]. If I had known, I would have prepared to stop it": This is what Greece's Top Prosecutor, Doyakos said in an interview (Opens in a new window) at Delphi Economic Forum on Wednesday.
In other words, Doyakos admitted openly he would have stopped an Independent Authority from doing its job in the context of the wiretapping scandal investigation.
"The opinion of the prosecutor of the Supreme Court has always been his inalienable right. Alas, if the prosecutor of the Supreme Court, the country's first-class prosecutor, had limitations to express himself at some point if he deems it necessary," Dogiakos told journalist Ioanna Mandrou.
As Dutch MEP and PEGA Commission's Sophie in 't Veld put it (Opens in a new window): "Why would General Prosecutor wish to block the investigation into spyware? Seems to that seeking the truth is a common objective."
Also, this week ADAE's head Christos Rammos, who government officials have previously attacked, had to face an attack by mainstream media, which published articles under titles like: "Information for a double direct intervention by ADAE's Christos Rammos to the pre-election game (Opens in a new window)." According to these media, ADAE planned to call the Secret Services EYP head to testify "to revive the accusations for wiretapping and expose the government."
Rammos then issued (Opens in a new window)a press release stating that ADAE lawfully "continues with its pending tasks unobstructed and as usual, with no exceptions."
However, according to reports not verified by ADAE, the EYP chief call was finally canceled.
"Very worrying turn: independent oversight body ADAE compelled to cancel a hearing with EYP in the context of the spyware inquiry, under the pressure of fresh attacks on the integrity of its Head. Unacceptable interference with the work of an independent body," Sophie in 't Veld commented (Opens in a new window).
Breaking developments and (most possibly) empty promises
Two arrests have been made about journalist Karaivaz's murder: This is a breaking development reported (Opens in a new window) late on Friday.
"A while ago, the Greek Police arrested two people -for whom an arrest warrant was issued- involved in the murder of the journalist, who died untimely," Citizen Protection Minister Theodorikakos wrote without specifying how they are involved in organized crime.
Then he attacked the opposition: "Those who used this tragic case to defame the Citizen Protection Ministry, the Government generally, and the Greek Police owe an apology. We are carrying on all necessary action to solve the case fully. It's up to the Justice now."
We will keep you posted on any further developments.
In other news, electoral promises have been abundant these days both by PM Mitsotakis and by main opposition SYRIZA leader Tsipras.
Mitsotakis's main promises include (Opens in a new window):
-Increase the average wage to 1,500 euros and minimum wage to 950 by the end of the next term
-Pensions will increase by 3% to 4% by January 2024.
-Renovation and modernization of 80 hospitals and 156 Health Centres, creation of 315 telemedicine structures as well as 25 modern rehabilitation centers - Also, 10.000 hirings (Opens in a new window) for the NHS
-Increase by 8% of the Minimum Guaranteed Income and disability allowances
-500 new hirings for the Fire Brigade, purchase of modern fire-brigade airplanes
-Decrease public debt to 140%
-Inflation decreases to 2%
Alexis Tsipras's main promises include (Opens in a new window):
-Increase of the minimum wage to 880 in the private sector - In the public sector, wages will increase immediately by 10%
-Restoring Christmas allowance for pensioners
-Suspending first residence auctions for real-estate worth up to 300,000 until they substitute ND's New Insolvency Law and measures for first residence protection
-Measures to relieve private debt resulting from a health crisis
-Immediate taxation of energy companies' super-profits
The electoral period is becoming increasingly heated. It seems that leading parties fail to persuade Greek citizens, who have seen similar promises dissolving into thin air after the parties ascend to power.
We receive a general feeling of disappointment. These elections can turn out to be quite unpredictable.
Read
Greek Journalists' union grants honorary membership to Julian Assange (Opens in a new window)
Former OSE head, two executives to face criminal prosecution (Opens in a new window)
Centrist MEP fumes after EU Parliament scraps rule of law debate (Opens in a new window): The European Parliament's leaders bowed to the pressure of governments and avoided a discussion on the rule of law in Greece, Spain, and Malta, commented Dutch Renew Europe MEP Sophie isn't Veld
Evros fence as tourist attraction? Great interest by Greeks & foreigners (Opens in a new window)
Greece EOF report: Side-effects and deaths by Covid-19 vaccines (Opens in a new window)
Fragile Progress: The struggle for press freedom in the European Union (Opens in a new window)
Golden Dawn Youths Invade North Macedonia Artist's Exhibition in Greece (Opens in a new window)
Prosecutor orders investigation into Golden Dawn art gallery incident (Opens in a new window)
Greek, Finnish, Romanian evacuees from Sudan landed in Athens (Opens in a new window)
Not just Qatargate: Eva Kaili also faces probe into EU kickbacks scheme (Opens in a new window) - POLITICO has obtained documents showing Kaili is accused of taking a cut from her assistants' salaries and their faked reimbursement requests.
Mykonos: Two arrests for illegal construction in archaeological site (Opens in a new window)
Gov.gr (Opens in a new window) now available in English (Opens in a new window)
Greece to allow pets in more than 120 archaeological sites (Opens in a new window)
Plan Ahead
Eurovizion | Athens | April 28 – (Opens in a new window)June 16: The Athens branch of the Goethe Institute (goethe.de (Opens in a new window)) is hosting an exhibition organized by Germany's Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations that explores the sociopolitical situation in Europe today and ponders the notion of a "European identity."
Comic con returns to Thessaloniki: (Opens in a new window) Thessaloniki's longest-running festival exclusively devoted to comics, cosplay, and animation, The Comic Con, is set to take place on May 5-7 at TIF-Helexpo's Ioannis Vellidis conference center.
Flower show of Kifissia opens its gates in northern Athens - Until (Opens in a new window)May 14
That's all for this week,
See you next Friday!
The AL team
