Nikos Mihaloliakos

The government on Thursday tabled a draft amendment essentially aimed to prevent the participation of a burgeoning political party in this year's general election, established by convicted and still imprisoned Ilias Kasidiaris.

Golden Dawn, the neo-Nazi, anti-immigrant party that had shocked Greek politics by evolving from a marginal group into Greece's third-largest party during the country's economic crisis, was knocked out of Parliament in Sunday's national election.

In the early hours of December 23 while most Greeks were sleeping, 193 lawmakers in a 300-seat house voted in favor of civil partnership agreements despite protests from right-wing factions and the all-powerful Greek Orthodox Church.

The Golden Dawn party has brought to light a document from the Foreign Ministry on the name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The document refers to the Foreign Council Meeting on July 22, 2015, and asks Golden Dawn President Nikos Mihaloliakos to express his viewsregarding which names or compound names for the neighboring country he would find acceptable.

Ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn leader Nikos Mihaloliakos inserted a distinctly darker tone to the ongoing pre-election period in the country on Thursday by saying his party assumes the “political responsibility” for the stabbing death of an anti-fascist rapper  almost two years ago to the day.

Below are the highlights from a three-hour and mostly tepid debate by the seven political leaders with parties represented in the outgoing Parliament (sans Golden Dawn).

Political “fireworks” in Greece appear to be ebbing in the wake of an agreement with creditors and subsequent votes in Parliament to ratify the deal and pass “prior actions”, while the peaking Grecian summer season means less interest in politics — thankfully — and more for beach, sun, islands and excursions to mainland villages.

Friday political highlights include:

By Karolina Tagaris

The leaders of Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party refused to show up at court on Monday at the start of a landmark trial in which the elected politicians are accused of forming a criminal gang.

Fresh from his release from 18 months of pre-trial detention the leader of the far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikos Mihaloliakos, on Monday addressed Parliament in an off-the-agenda debate called by the leftist government on the course of negotiations with creditors.

In an interview with private radio Vima FM, Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos said on Wednesday that, due to understaffing problems, the trial of far right Golden Dawn deputies might be delayed.

"This delay may result in the release of the deputies, when the maximum period for holding someone without trial expires," Paraskevopoulos added.