Karatzaferis, Baltakos set to announce new right-wing party

The former leader of the ultranationalist LAOS party, Giorgos Karatzaferis, and ex-cabinet secretary Panayiotis Baltakos are due to announce the launch of a new right-wing party on Friday.

The two men have been in talks with other figures from the nationalist right of Greek politics over the last few weeks but have decided to announce the creation of the party on their own. They will subsequently seek to bring more people on board.

The party’s aim will be to attract New Democracy supporters who are skeptical of current leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and right-wing voters who have abandoned the party but do not support Independent Greeks or Golden Dawn.

Karatzaferis has described the effort as an attempt to create a “SYRIZA of the right.”

He is expected to rule out any possibility of working with the leftist party.