Mitsotakis expels ultra-right MP Konstantinos Bogdanos from ND’s parliamentary group

By George Gilson

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has expelled ultra-right MP Konstantinos Bogdanos from ruling New Democracy's parliamentary group after his vitriolic, Civil War-style attacks on the Greek communists and his extremely intense row with Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, the most popular minister in the latest opinion poll.

A terse announcement by New Democracy noted that, "Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was briefed in Slovenia where he is [visiting] about what happened in Parliament and has decided to expel from ND's parliamentary group Athens' First District MP Konstantinos Bogdanos."

Bogdanos defended his presence at a wreath-laying ceremony at Vitsi in the Kastoria region at an event commemorating the brutal Civil War Battle where the National Army routed the communist-tied Democratic Army of Greece.

Bogdanos and a  representative of Golden Dawn  were among those who laid a wreath at the ceremony

The national commemoration of the battle by ultra-nationalists in effect rekindles the hatred and national division during the Greek Civil War and has drawn sharp criticism over the years.

Bogdanos names head of PM's Thessaloniki office

Bogdanos noted that the director of the prime minister's office in Thessaloniki, Maria Antoniou, also attended the religious doxology  at the event, and that is believed to have bolstered the PM's determination to oust him.

For the prime minister, today's incident was the last straw after  Bogdanos recently came out against migrant kindergartners.

Government spokesman Yannis Economou at the time made clear that Bogdanos will be given a last chance.

"As long as I represent ND in this house such behaviour will not be tolerated!" Dendias...

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