A large majority in the Greek parliament has approved an amendment from the Ministry of Interior on suspending funding for the Spartan Party.
The announcement on December 17 also included the party having to repay state grants it received after it failed to participate in the European Parliament elections last June.
That failure was the result of a ban on the party doing so by the Greek Supreme Court as it was being investigated for its relations with Ilias Kasidiaris, the president of the hard-right Greek National Party.
He was also the former leader of the now-disbanded Golden Dawn, a neo-Nazi organisation that was dissolved after it was convicted of being a criminal organisation. Kasidiaris was sentenced in 2020 to 13 years in prison for his role in the banned far-right party
The National Party was excluded from Greek elections in 2023 and, from prison, Kasidiaris then announced his full support for the Spartans, who publicly thanked him for doing so.
After having been barred from running in the European elections, the Spartans now face being disqualified by the Greek parliament.
Greek politicians who approved the amendment said they worked to protect democratic institutions and curb financial misuse.
The amendment established clear conditions for party funding, tying financial support to active participation in elections. It closed a legal loophole from 2019 that permitted parties such as the Spartans in the European Parliament elections to receive funding despite not fielding candidates.
From now on, parties that do not participate in elections will have to repay all the state funds they received within one month of obtaining formal notification from the Ministry of the Interior.
If parties are found to be tied to criminals or criminal activities, they will have their funding suspended indefinitely.
Members of Golden Dawn were accused of carrying out acts of vigilante-style violence and hate crimes against immigrants, political opponents, homosexuals and ethnic minorities.
Its offices were attacked repeatedly by anarchists and other leftists
Several members were also found guilty of the murder of a far-left activist.
Panagiotis Doudonis, MP of the Socialist Pasok Party, told Greek news outlet iefimerida on December 17 the bill was “long overdue” and said the government had failed to act promptly, allowing public money to go to what he alleged was “a front for criminal activities”.
“After over €1.7 million of taxpayers’ money was lost, the government is finally taking steps to address what we have highlighted for over a year. It’s better late than never, but this delay has cost the Greek people dearly,” Doudonis said.
He condemned the fact that taxpayers’ money had gone to a party whose leadership was allegedly operated under the influence of a convicted criminal, calling it a “stain on the government’s record.” That was in reference to claims that Kasidiaris was the de facto leader of the Spartans, BalkansInsight reported in April this year.
“This isn’t just about reclaiming the money; it’s about restoring trust in democratic processes and public funding,” Doudonis said.
Greek interior minister Thodoris Livanios admitted the party received €1.7 million but said that since October, no further funding had been forthcoming.
Vasilis Stigas, the President of the Spartans, said in the Greek parliament that his party legitimately represented 250,000 Greeks.
“I would also insist once again that I personally am not accused, that no criminal charges have been brought against me, but that members of parliament … are accused, mind you, of deceiving voters. In other words, it is truly inconceivable what is happening … it’s Greek paranoia!
“We don’t even have so much as a traffic ticket, to put it simply and yet we’re being called thieves and fraudsters, accused of misappropriating funds,” Stigas said.
He added many of the accusations against his party were unfounded and claimed it was nothing more than mudslinging.
Stigas further noted that Pasok was itself indebted to the tune of €430 million.
