For the first time in the history of Greek parliamentary democracy, the Hellenic Parliament will operate with only 297 members instead of the usual 300, following a landmark ruling by the country’s Electoral Court. The court unanimously annulled the election of three MPs from the far-right Spartans party, citing serious breaches of electoral law, but ruled that their seats will not be reassigned due to a legal gap.
The decision, which is final and cannot be appealed, excludes Spartans party leader Vassilis Stigas and two elected MPs, Petros Dimitriadis and Alexandros Zerveas, from Parliament. The court found that the real, undisclosed leader of the party was Ilias Kasidiaris—a convicted criminal and former leading member of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which has been officially classified as a criminal organization in Greece. According to the court, the hidden involvement of Kasidiaris constituted a deliberate attempt to deceive voters.
Despite the invalidation of the three seats, the court determined that current Greek electoral law does not provide for either a re-run of the vote or a redistribution of those seats to other parties. The judges noted that while this legal vacuum is problematic, it is not within the court’s authority to rewrite legislation. As such, the three parliamentary seats will remain vacant, and the Parliament will continue to function with 297 members.
This ruling has highlighted a significant loophole in Greek election law and could prompt future legislative reform. For now, however, Greece enters uncharted political territory, with its legislative body operating below its full capacity.
