Greek far-right party attempting election suspension bypass
Far-right Golden Dawn party lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris delivers a speech during a pre-election rally in Athens, May 23, 2014. (Reuters Photo)


According to local media reports on Friday, Greece's far-right Greeks Party is attempting to circumvent election prohibition that was enacted by the parliament in February.

Ilias Kasidiaris, who is now serving a 13-year jail sentence for his involvement with the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, was replaced by Anastasios Kanellopoulos, a former assistant Supreme Court prosecutor, who also revealed intentions to change the party's charter to get around the ban.

According to the country's Kathimerini newspaper, the Greeks Party's participation in the May 21 parliamentary election "could potentially change the outcome as poll margins tighten between the leading incumbent New Democracy party and a left-wing opposition party, Syriza," adding that the party is currently polling above the 3% threshold necessary to gain seats in parliament.

In a similar incident, the newspaper reported that the government would change the law next week to extend the electoral ban on the far-right party.