Dimitris Kammenos

Panayiotis Baltakos, an ultra-conservative senior official in the New Democracy government of Antonis Samaras, will stand as a candidate for Independent Greeks (ANEL) in the upcoming European Parliament elections, reports said Wednesday.
His candidacy was expected to be confirmed later Wednesday.

Former Independent Greeks (ANEL) MP Dimitris Kammenos said Monday he plans to join an alliance with other nationalist politicians in a bid to "fill the vacuum" on the right end of Greece's ideological spectrum.

The name of the new political party formed by Dimitris Kammenos, an ultranationalist lawmaker who parted ways with coalition partner Independent Greeks in the summer over the Macedonia name deal, and Takis Baltakos, an ultra-conservative senior official in the New Democracy government of Antonis Samaras, is Force of Hellenism.

Dimitris Kammenos, an ultranationalist lawmaker who recently left the ranks of coalition partner Independent Greeks in opposition to the name deal with Skopje, and Takis Baltakos, an ultra-conservative former high-level official in the government of Antonis Samaras, are forming a new party.

A plenary session in Parliament Wednesday will select a replacement for Dimitris Kammenos, the former MP for junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) who resigned as vice president of the House Monday.

Dimitris Kammenos, the outspoken former MP for the right-wing junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), who was ejected from the party last month for defecting from the government line in a confidence vote, quit his post as parliamentary vice president on Monday.

The move, which was anticipated, paves the way for ANEL to appoint a new vice president to the House.

The political backlash stemming from the name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) coupled with lagging poll numbers has put the ruling coalition on the back foot, forcing it to re-examine its strategy.

More cracks are threatening to destabilize the coalition government, after a lawmaker from junior partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) left its parliamentary group in protest at the name deal signed between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Greek coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) on Tuesday lost another lawmaker from its tiny parliamentary group, after Giorgos Lazaridis announced his departure from the nationalist party.

The name deal between Athens and Skopje has exposed cracks in Greece's junior coalition partner, the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL), as well as the new center-left Movement for Change (KINAL).