(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, MAY 20 - The Greek neo-Nazi party Chrysi
Avghi (Golden Dawn) saw its ratings soar in the Sunday
elections, after it nearly tripled its ratings in Athens and
managed to elect councilors in 12 of the country's 13 electoral
districts as daily To Vima online reports today. In Athens, the
party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris may have failed to make it to
the second round, finishing in fourth place behind Aris
Spiliotopoulos, but his 16.92% of the vote translates into
35,949 voters, about three times as many the detained party
leader Nikos Michaloliakos received in the 2010 municipal race
(5.29% - 10,222 votes). While the neo-Nazi party saw its ratings
in Athens increase, particularly in western and central
neighborhoods such as Kolonos, Votanikos, Sepolia, Patisia and
Kypseli, support for the Golden Dawn in Piraeus was nearly
halved since the general elections of 2012. The ratings of the
extremist party nearly doubled its influence in the Saronic Gulf
islands (Hydra, Poros, Spetses, Kythira, Aegina) since the
general elections, while in Thessaly, MP Panagiotis Iliopoulos
managed to maintain his ratings, despite being detained in
Korydallos and facing charges of participation in a criminal
organization. Overall, the neo-Nazi party performed best in the
districts of Central Greece, (9.02% and 2 councilors), in
Peloponnesus, (9%), Central Macedonia (8.74% and 3 councilors),
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (5.95% and 2 councilors).
(ANSAmed).
(ANSAmed).