The real danger of the return of the criminal organization to parliament and the strong semiotics of the formation of the widest possible political front by the parties of the democratic arc against the extreme manifestations of the threat to democracy activate active political consultations. The government’s intention to pass a law that would raise a dam in the party of Ilias Kasidiaris, who was convicted of participation in the Golden Dawn criminal organization, and would not allow him to enter parliament sparked a wide political discussion. However, the general consensus, at least among the main parties, is that in order to resolve the issue at hand, it is necessary to seek the widest possible consensus.

According to polls, the return of the neo-Nazi group to parliament is a real risk. In an Alco poll published a few days ago, the Hellenic Party counted 2.6%. Pulse CEO Giorgos Arapoglu claims that, according to his own measurements, the party of Ilias Kasidiaris is steadily gaining a percentage of about 2.5%. “If we make a proportional distribution of undecided votes and evaluate the data that we usually take into account when reducing, then even slightly the party seems to gain the 3% needed to enter parliament,” Mr. Arapoglu emphasizes. He also adds that in the case of the Kasidiaris party, the “secret ballot” parameter should be taken into account. It is about the indecisiveness of citizens to be honest in their answers when they think they can be exposed for what they say. This phenomenon was also recorded in relation to the Golden Dawn, which appeared in public opinion polls with a percentage lower than that which it received in the voting.

Given these facts, the government’s initiative and growing mobility are not surprising. Moreover, the political system as a whole has been criticized for lack of reflexes in the past, which allowed the Golden Dawn to gain strength and brought organized crime to the parliamentary benches.

There is a direct reference to “Nazi motives” in the proposal to be submitted by SYRIZA.

SYRIZA introduces its amendment, which the main opposition party believes has removed some of the unconstitutionality issues and the “windows” for broader interpretation of the law that Koumunduru finds in the government’s proposal. The SYRIZA amendment provides that “political parties whose organization and activities do not serve the free functioning of a democratic state within the meaning of article 29, paragraph 1, of the Constitution shall not have the right to associate. These are political parties whose constitutional provisions or ideological declarations or political actions incite, provoke, incite or incite to act or act that may cause discrimination, hatred or violence against a person or group of persons defined on the basis of race, color, religion, genealogical origin, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender characteristics or disability, as well as persons whose head or member of the governing body was convicted even in the first instance for crimes under articles 187 and 187A of the Criminal Code. This applies even to an ordinary member if he committed the crimes referred to in the previous paragraph with Nazi or racist motives, in the context of the actions of the party or on his own behalf. Assistance in cases referred to in the previous paragraphs is controlled ex officio by Department A1 of the Supreme Court. To facilitate its resolution, political parties, associations of individuals or other civil society organizations, as well as every voter, have the right to submit to Section A1 of the Supreme Court a memorandum with documentary evidence until the day after the expiration of the term of Article 34, paragraph 1 of this.

PASOK invites the speaker of parliament to seek the opinion of the scientific service of parliament in order to formulate an amendment that will be as reliable and legally strong as possible. Political planning secretary Panagiotis Dudonis says that they, for their part, have identified three points in the amendment that the government plans to introduce and which, in their opinion, need to be addressed. The first concerns the ability to determine real leadership, since a figurehead can become a leader without any legal barriers. There they argue that the theory of sovereignty in practice, which is applied to criminal and corporate law to combat such phenomena, should be applied to constitutional law. The second issue raised by PASOK concerns providing the necessary procedural safeguards so that the Supreme Court’s review process cannot be challenged at any level. And the third concerns the wording “in particular”, which was used in relation to criminal offences. PASOK is required to provide specific language regarding criminal activity.

The CHRG also asks for clearer and more specific wording. Party MP Yannis Giokas points out that the references to “threats to democracy” and “in particular to criminal sentences” included in the government’s proposal should be specific, with a clear indication of the criminal Nazi nature, as this leaves a wide leeway open, which could lead to other restrictions. Taking into account these data, steps are expected from the government in the direction of finding common ground. PASOK’s proposal to use the parliament’s science service is considered a step in the right direction and the government is expected to accept it.