Jailed leader of Greek far-right party faces election ban

Greece's government is seeking to ban a far-right political party led by a jailed former lawmaker from participating in a general election later this year, with a legislative initiative that has gained cross-party support.

Ilias Kasidiaris, 42, founded the Greek National Party two years ago. He is currently serving a sentence of 13 years and six months in prison for membership in a criminal organization as a former leading member of Golden Dawn, a political party of neo-Nazi origins linked to multiple violent street attacks.

Parliament on Friday published a proposed legal amendment that would disqualify Kasidiaris' party from election participation on the grounds that its leader has been convicted of serious offences and that the party wouldn't "serve the free functioning of [Greece's] democratic constitution."

Lawmakers are due to vote on the amendment on...