Spartans (Greek political party)

Spartans (Σπαρτιάτες) is a far-right political party in Greece, founded in 2017 by Vasilis Stigkas. It is often described as far-right or extreme-right due to its strong connections with Golden Dawn. Journalists and analysts are divided on the party's ideology, with some describing it as neo-fascist or neo-nazi.

The party gained significant traction in national polls in mid-June, following an endorsement on Twitter by Ilias Kasidiaris, a former Golden Dawn MP and nationalist politician who had been convicted in the trial declaring Golden Dawn, a criminal organisation. Kasidiaris urged his supporters to vote for Spartans in the June 2023 election.

Given that many of its members of parliament have previously been associated with either Golden Dawn or Kasidiaris' party Greeks for the Fatherland, which was banned from participating in the 2023 elections, Spartans has been seen as a continuation of Golden Dawn. Some sources have even labelled it as Kasidiaris' "trojan horse".

History
In the late 1980s, Vasilis Stigkas first joined New Democracy for a few years at the time when Konstantinos Mitsotakis was Prime Minister. Unsatisfied with the party, he followed then Foreign Minister Antonis Samaras into his new Political Spring party, after the latter was dismissed from his position over his stance on the Macedonia naming dispute.

In the early 2000s, Stigkas joined the LAOS party of Georgios Karatzaferis. He left after the party's support for the memorandum in 2012 while it participated in the coalition government of Lucas Papademos.

He created the Spartans party in 2017, while participating in political programs on the YouTube channel of Konstantinos Plevris and Tasos Simigdalas. During that time, he interviewed different political personalities such as leftist Panagiotis Lafazanis, centrist Vasilis Leventis and Golden Dawner Ioannis Lagos. After 2019 Stigkas hosted a weekly show supporting the neo-Nazi party National Popular Consciousness.

For the European parliamentary election of May 2019, an electoral alliance was announced with the party Union of Centrists of Vasilis Leventis. Stigkas received 752 votes nationwide. In the national legislative elections of 2019, Stigkas participated once more on the Boeotia ballot list of the Union of Centrists, receiving 35 votes.

In December 2020, the formation of a coalition was announced by ELASYN, the Popular Hellenic Patriotic Union (LEPEN), the "Spartans" party, the United Front of Greek Ideology of Compatriots (EMEIS) and the Front Line, with the prospect of a joint electoral descent with the name K.Y.M.A of Hellenism. In February 2021, the coalition announced the collaboration of the formation with the retired captain and chief of the Popular Citizens Movement (LAKIP) Andreas Petropoulos.

On 8 June 2023, the party Spartans was allowed to participate in the upcoming legislative elections of June 2023 by the Supreme Court of Greece. Following the exclusion of the far-right National Party – Greeks of Ilias Kasidiaris from both the May and June 2023 elections, Kasidiaris announced his "full support" for the party of Stigkas. Subsequently, the party gained a 4.68% in the June 2023 Greek legislative election, winning a total of 12 seats in the new parliament.

Less than three months after the elections, three MPs were expelled from the parliamentary group by Stigkas, with the party's president citing their absence from the parliament as the reason for their expulsion. In early September, two more MPs became independent, leaving the party with 7 out of its original 12 seats. On September 7, four of the newly independent MPs were reintegrated into the party's parliamentary group.

The party was barred from participating in the 2024 European Parliament elections, an action that was endorsed by New Democracy, PASOK, New left and Syriza while it was rejected by Afroditi Latinopoulou and her Voice of Reason party.

Ideology
The party is considered to be ultranationalist, ultraconservative, anti-LGBT/homophobic and positioned on the far-right of the political spectrum. The party describes itself as a supporter of the “popular patriotic right”, of the triptych “homeland–religion–family” and of the “sane Greek nationalism”.

The party takes a pro-Israel stance, strongly condemning the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and criticising Turkey’s support for Hamas.

Links with Ilias Kasidiaris and the National Party – Greeks
At least 10 members and politicians of the National Party – Greeks, including one of Kasidiaris' lawyers, were on the Spartans' ballot lists. Stigkas openly supported the National Popular Consciousness of convicted neo-Nazi Giannis Lagos, and later turned out to be a member of the National Party – Greeks. In May 2023 Greek legislative election, Spartans did not participate and were not involved in the discussion of the possible parties that Ilias Kasidiaris would support. After the second ban from the elections by the Supreme Court, Kasidiaris and members of his party openly supported Spartans. In his first public statement after the election, Stigkas openly thanked Kasidiaris for "[being] the fuel that has propelled us to [entering parliament]".

Faced with a surprise revolt in July 2023, the leader of the party Vasilis Stigkas encountered a situation in which nine members of parliament issued a statement against him. They cited unethical and unacceptable remarks made by MP Konstantinos Floros. Earlier in the day at the parliament, Floros had openly expressed his joy for the candidacy of the neo-Nazi and convicted leader of the criminal organization Golden Dawn in the municipality of Athens, Ilias Kasidiaris. The incident further solidified the perception that Kasidiaris functions as the de facto leader of the Spartans party.