Jailed Greek far-right figure Ilias Kasidiaris has moved to launch a new political party after his brother submitted founding papers to the Supreme Court. The filing with the court department marks a formal bid by the former Golden Dawn official to re-enter Greek political life following his expected release from prison.
Kasidiaris is serving a prison sentence of 13 years and six months for directing a criminal organization, following the final conviction of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. He has claimed that he anticipates being released from prison in early September after serving the majority of his second-instance sentence.
His last public appearance took place on July 20, when he was granted temporary prison leave. During his furlough, he visited his political offices on Kleisthenous Street, where approximately 500 supporters, mostly young people, gathered to meet him.
The move follows an effort in May to rebuild his public profile through the publication of a book titled The Black Book of the Political System. At the time of its release, Kasidiaris stated that he would return to active politics even with one foot out of prison.
Digital Operations and Social Media
Despite his imprisonment, the political apparatus surrounding Kasidiaris has continued to function. Accounts across digital platforms including X, YouTube, Facebook, Telegram and Viber have regularly broadcast his political positions and commentary throughout his incarceration.
Kasidiaris has also delivered periodic statements and telephone interviews directly from his prison cell. This activity drew scrutiny from judicial authorities, with a formal document from the Lamia Misdemeanors Judicial Council noting that his posts on X were being published with the apparent assistance of third parties.
The online network continues to operate as an organized political operation. The website ellhnes.net serves as a central hub for his activities, displaying contact details, information about his political offices, publishing projects, links to a YouTube channel, and access to digital news groups.
Electoral Ambitions and Polling Claims
The newly proposed party aims to attract voters who previously backed Golden Dawn or other far-right political factions in Greece. Media outlets allied with Kasidiaris have circulated projections suggesting his potential electoral support ranges between 5 percent and 7 percent, although no independent polling firm has verified those figures.
Political analysts told the Greek newspaper Ta Nea that far-right groups in the country have historically benefited from a hidden vote effect. They noted that a portion of the electorate tends to conceal its true voting intentions from pollsters during public opinion surveys.
Legal Hurdles and Supreme Court Precedents
The primary obstacle facing the initiative is whether the Supreme Court, which oversees election eligibility in Greece, will permit the party to run. In 2023, the Supreme Court disqualified Kasidiaris's previous party, Ellines, ruling that it maintained a direct connection to a person convicted of leading a criminal organization.
The judiciary took further action during the 2024 European Parliament elections when the A1 section of the Supreme Court banned the far-right Spartans party. Judges determined that Kasidiaris was acting as the true, covert leader behind the party's official leadership, a decision later affirmed by Greece's specialized Electoral Court.
Legal experts and officials view these combined court decisions as establishing a formidable legal precedent that is likely to block any new attempt by Kasidiaris to field candidates for elected office.
