Niki (Greek political party)

The Democratic Patriotic Movement “Niki"  (Δημοκρατικό Πατριωτικό Κίνημα “Νίκη”), often shortened to simply Niki (Victory), is a far-right political party in Greece. It was founded by educator Dimitris Natsios in 2019. In the parliamentary elections of June 2023, the party received a percentage of 3.70%, electing 10 deputies to the Hellenic Parliament in which today, it forms the 7th Parliamentary Group.

The party is regarded as nationalist, ultraconservative, and supportive of the Greek Orthodox Church. Its primary ideology is encapsulated in the triptych "Faith - Homeland - Family," a variant of the "Homeland - Religion - Family" (Patris - Thriskeia - Oikogeneia) slogan, a long-standing political identity of Greek nationalists. Most analysts agree that with the emergence of Niki, Greek Solution and the Spartans, the far-right has reappeared on the country's political scene. This marks the first time since 1974 that three distinctly far-right parties are represented in the national parliament.

History
The party was founded by the public education teacher and theologian Dimitris Natsios on 17 June 2019 in Thessaloniki, after the signing of the Prespa Agreement and one month before the 2019 parliamentary elections, in which he did not participate. He emerged in the polls shortly before the May 2023 elections. In the elections of June 2023, it collected 192,154 votes, i.e. 3.7% and entered the Greek Parliament with 10 seats. He gathered the largest percentages in Northern Greece and specifically in Macedonia.

In the European elections of June 2024 it gathered a percentage of 4.42% and elected an MEP, Nikos Anadiotis, to the European Parliament. It formed the 6th Parliamentary Group of Greece in the European Parliament.

Niki is said to receive support from the monasteries of Mount Athos and Christian Orthodox brotherhoods, however the Philotheou Monastery and the Karakallos Monastery publicly denied the reports. Archbishop Hieronymos expressed his opposition to the instrumentalization of faith, and Metropolitan Anthimos of Alexandroupolis referred to the intervention of ecclesiastical circles in favor of parties.

Ideology and positions
Niki has been described as a party that belongs to the far-right with ultra-Orthodox beliefs, which are seen as "ultra-religious"  or religious-nationalist. It is often described as ultraconservative with faith, homeland and family as the main axes, however the party president denies the left-right political arce. According to the party's manifesto, former politicians, government officials and freemasons are not accepted as party members due to "alleged corruption among these groups". The party also demands politicians who have participated in governments that are accused of wasting public money and increasing the public debt to be held accountable in justice, as well as to limit their right to re-election.

The party often refers to characteristics of the Greek nation which it promotes such as language, history and tradition, while it places special emphasis on education, criticizing certain content of school books and prejudicing the writing of new ones. It opposes sex education in schools and stands against abortion, often arguing that unborn babies have rights. The party is against same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, whilst many statements by the party leader and some of its MPs have been described as homophobic,   whilst Natsios also argued that there is a link between LGBT people and AIDS. The party also states its opposition to mandatory medical procedures, such as the vaccination during Covid-19 and has promoted anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. The party has also been accused of endorsing antisemitic conspiracy theories.

In matters of foreign policy, the party completely rejects the Prespa Agreement, arguing that: "In Skopje, there are no 'Macedonians', only Slavs, Albanians, Greeks, Roma, and Jews. There is no 'Macedonian language', only a Serbianized Bulgarian dialect." It maintains a neutral attitude towards other countries, believing that the Byzantine imperial heritage, the Orthodox unifying character, can feed an international focus of stability and balance in the Balkan Peninsula. It disagrees with Greece's support for Ukraine regarding Russia's invasion, instead preferring neutrality.

The party has been referred to as "pro-Russia". Regarding Greece's relations with Turkey the party takes a hardline approach to their disputes, whilst the party's leader has also argued that "the Turks are importing Hitler-like propaganda" to Greek schools. During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the party called for peace between the two sides and for the Greek government to advocate for the protection of Orthodox Christians affected by the conflict.

Party structure
The party is managed by two bodies. According to the statute, the main body is the Vouleftirion (Βουλευτήριον), a seven-member group that ensures the party runs smoothly in line with its statutory principles. Members of the Vouleftirion are independent of other organs, do not officially represent the party, cannot stand as candidates in any elections, and are unpaid. It is often seen as a conclave of a select few who are unaccountable to anyone, as the identities of the Vouleftirion members are unknown, unlike the Omaikhmia, whose members are known. This lack of transparency was highlighted during the June 2023 elections when the Vouleftirion replaced candidates chosen by voters in the May elections with others of its own choosing.

The second body is the Omaikhmia or Homaichmía (Ομαιχμία or ὁμοαιχμία), a 28-member group that publicly represents the party's views and positions. The President of the party acts as the spokesperson for the Omaikhmia. Members are vetted for their integrity, honesty, patriotism, and religiosity before being appointed.

Political analyst Giorgos Karabelias described the party's structure as "an organisational model of a mystical character - the community of believers - which, when applied to society (such as the papal state in the past or Islamism today), leads to totalitarian monstrosities."