Far-right party banned from upcoming election in Greece

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s parliament has banned a far-right political party led by a jailed former lawmaker from participating in an upcoming general election expected in April. Lawmakers backed a legal amendment to disqualify the Greek National Party. It is led by Ilias Kasidiaris, a former member of parliament for the extreme right Golden Dawn, which a court has designated as a criminal organization. The center-right government failed to gain broad cross-party consensus for the initiative, with critics arguing that the ban could be challenged as unconstitutional or being based on criteria that are too broad.