Explanations sought for far-right rise
The entry of three far-right parties into Parliament was a first for Greece since the end of the dictatorship era in 1974.
The Spartiates (Spartans), Hellenic Solution and Niki won the confidence of 12.77% of voters, receiving a total of 34 seats.
According to Vassiliki Georgiadou, professor of political science at Panteion University, who has been studying the Greek far-right since 2000, it is difficult to recall another European country in which the far-right is represented by three parliamentary parties at the same time.
Moreover, she noted that if the voters of the far-right parties that did not make it into Parliament are added, the total number of such voters exceeds 15%.
Tellingly, in a relevant survey she conducted after the 2019 election to identify the right-wing populist potential in the electorate, the results were “not negligible,” and she noted a diminished democratic feeling in a part of the electorate. “It’s not huge. But it is real and visible,” she said.
She also stressed that there is a demand for such parties, which this time around was met with supply, as there were many parties to choose from. Golden Dawn, she said, had received 3% in the 2019 elections, which went somewhere.
For his part, Christos Frangonikolopoulos, professor of international relations and media at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, insisted, “These people know very well what they do and what they vote for.” He described them as “reactionaries” who believe that the future will be disastrous, that only the past was good and who wish to return to a state of harmony, ensured through family, religion and the study of Greek history.
He also argued that these people should not be described as “angry,” because in this way it is as if we do not want to hold them politically and morally responsible.
