ATHENS (Reuters) -A Greek court has stripped three far-right lawmakers of their seats in parliament on accusations they deceived voters in a June 2023 national vote, the semi-official Athens News Agency and a legal source said on Tuesday.
The ruling means parliament will operate with 297 lawmakers instead of 300, while the number of seats needed for an absolute majority drops to 149.
The three former lawmakers were elected with the far-right Spartans party in 2023. An election court, however, ruled that the party was receiving guidance from a politician who is serving a jail term for his leadership role in the banned far-right Golden Dawn party.
Parties in Greece legally cannot run in elections if their “real leaders,” not only their official representatives, have been convicted for crimes that carry a sentence of up to life imprisonment, ranging from treason or spying to participating in a criminal organization.
The court ruled that a repeat election was not necessary, the Athens News Agency said.
Greece’s conservative government is backed by 155 members of parliament.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Paul Simao)
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