A jailed Greek far-right politician convicted of co-leading a party later declared a criminal organization was released Tuesday and signaled a political comeback before next year’s parliamentary elections.

Ilias ⁠Kasidiaris, 46, was a ⁠spokesperson and lawmaker for Golden Dawn, which became the third-largest political force at the height of Greece's 2009-2018 ​debt crisis on an anti-austerity and anti-migration ​agenda.

In ⁠2020, the far-right, neo-Nazi party was declared a criminal group linked to hate crimes, including the killing of an anti-fascist rapper, Pavlos Fyssas. Kasidiaris was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison for being one of its leaders.

Dressed casually, Kasidiaris left a prison in central Greece Tuesday to cheers from supporters waving Greek flags. He was released after serving about six years of his sentence, including credits for ⁠prison ⁠labor and time spent in custody.

Despite Greek law barring parties led by convicted felons from running in elections, Kasidiaris has signaled a return to politics, saying he plans to launch a party to challenge what he called a corrupt establishment.

"I'm returning today, and from what I see I'm not alone; with me is a new, strong ⁠national party, like those that dominate throughout Europe," he told reporters after his release.

Hard-right parties are gaining ground around Europe.

In Germany, thousands of ​demonstrators rallied in Berlin last week against the rise of the ​far-right after the Alternative for Germany (AfD), leading in national surveys, surged into first place in state elections in ⁠Saxony-Anhalt.

Kasidiaris, ‌who ‌attacked two female politicians during a live TV ⁠show in 2012, had in ‌the past founded an ultra-nationalist party, Hellenes, which was banned from the 2023 ​national elections.

He later publicly ⁠endorsed another nationalist party, the Spartans, also ⁠barred from the European election ballot while its three lawmakers ⁠later lost their ​parliamentary seats on evidence that Kasidiaris guided the party from jail.