May 21 election will have 36 contestants

A total of 36 parties and coalitions, as well as a single individual, will contest the May 21 election out of the 50 that had filed applications.

A section of the Supreme Court’s Civil Division, made up of ten justices, decided that 14 of the 50 formations did not meet the criteria to take part in the election, for various reasons.

The most notable case concerned the “National Party-Greeks” of convicted former lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris, who is serving a 13-year sentence as a leading member of extreme right Golden Dawn, which has been declared a criminal organization, for its attacks, some of them deadly, against migrants and left-wing activists. Two other hard-right parties were also barred from contesting the election, but not another, led by a retired Supreme Court prosecutor, even though he had explicitly stated his party will serve as a vehicle for Kasidiaris’ party, in case the jailed party leader’s candidacy was rejected.

Also not making the cut was “Green and Purple,” a coalition of seven Green parties forged with the help of the Greens group in the European Parliament. Two other ecologist parties were given the green light, however.