Sparta

Greece's Supreme Court said it banned on Wednesday the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party from running in this year's elections for the European Parliament because its real leader is a jailed politician from neo-Nazi Golden Dawn (GD).

The leader of the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party has said that he "supports and embraces all the MPs of his party," as two of his MPs declared themselves independent hours after a Supreme Court prosecutor brought charges of electoral fraud against eleven MPs elected with the party in the last election.

Ilias Kasidiaris, the imprisoned former deputy leader of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group, was questioned from prison on Monday by the Supreme Court prosecutor, who is carrying out a preliminary investigation regarding allegations that the nationalist Spartiates (Spartans) party was, in fact, a shell party that he created to take part in elections which he was barred from participating due to his

With an overwhelming majority, MPs have voted to lift the immunity of 11 parliamentarians from the extreme-right Spartans party over their alleged links to jailed neo-Nazi figure Ilias Kasidiaris.

The decision lifts the immunity of 11 of the 12 MPs elected with the Spartans in June 2013, one of whom has since declared himself to be an independent MP.

Eleven MPs of the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party have been summoned to provide explanations as suspects by Supreme Court Prosecutor Georgia Adeilini regarding their potential involvement in electoral fraud during this year's legislative elections. A request has already been made to Parliament to lift their immunity.

A bus, driving from the eastern Peloponnesian city of Sparta to the village of Vamvakou in Laconia, fell into a ditch on Wednesday.

According to state broadcaster ERT, the bus driver lost consciousness and passed out.

The head of the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party has convened a meeting of its parliamentary group after playing down what is widely seen as a major challenge to his leadership.

The Spartiates (Spartans) party leader Vassilis Stigas is facing mutiny as nine out of 12 lawmakers from the far-right party issued a statement condemning his response to a party MP's public support for Ilias Kasidiaris' bid to run for the position of mayor of Athens.

New Democracy's strategy of capitalizing on sensitive political issues that appeal to far-right audiences during Greece's general election, where the conservatives achieved a landslide victory over their leftist rivals, also fueled the rise of fringe parties, according to political analysts.

The entry into Parliament of three far-right parties and the radical leftist Course of Freedom is, without doubt, the most alarming message to emerge from Sunday's general election. It should not, however, sully the deeper message from the ballot box, which, dare I say, is not negative.