Golden Dawn

The two prosecutors investigating the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in order to determine whether it constitutes a criminal organization are pushing ahead with the depositions of members of the party as the expiration of the 18-month period of their pre-trial custody is set to expire and they may have to be released.

Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos and two prominent MPs, Christos Pappas and Yiannis Lagos, are expected to appear in Parliament next Wednesday ahead of a vote to lift their immunity on a series of criminal charges.

The three are all in custody pending trial for membership of a criminal organization.

The wife of Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos, Eleni Zaroulia, submitted a suit on Friday against anyone responsible for leaking details about the case against her husband and other lawmakers from the far-right party.

The neo-Nazi MP demanded that those who leaked information should face charges of breaching confidentiality and privacy rules, as well as defaming the defendants.

Vangelis Marinakis, chairman of Olympiakos soccer club and a candidate for the Piraeus municipal council has rejected accusations of courting Golden Dawn's support ahead of the second round of local elections on Sunday.

By Costas Iordanidis

Three days before Greeks vote in the country’s second round of local elections, along with those for the European Parliament, the political system appears to have dropped the ball. The main reason is that municipal and regional candidates – especially in Athens and the Attica region – are seeking to extract Golden Dawn’s share in the runoff vote.

People wait at a bus stop beneath a campaign poster for New Democracy in central Athens on Wednesday.

With just a few days left before the crucial double elections on Sunday, party leaders intensified their campaigning on Wednesday with their position on the threat posed by neofacist Golden Dawn a key focus of much of the rhetoric.

Stathis Boukouras [photo], a former Golden Dawn lawmaker currently in pretrial custody over charges of belonging to a criminal organization, faced a magistrate on Wednesday. He was granted an extension in order to respond to additional charges over illegal weapons ownership and was ordered to return on June 2.

By Derek Gatopoulos

There were no intimidating guards at the door, or angry chants of "Blood, Honor, Golden Dawn," as there have been in the past.

In fact, the guests looked more like members of a large wedding party than supporters of Europe's most prominent extreme-right political group.

By Pantelis Boukalas

Less than a year ago, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had vowed to "eradicate" neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn as an investigation began into the party’s allegedly criminal activities.

As results filtered in from Sunday’s first round of local elections, it was clear his promise has yet to be met.