The Greek Solution ( el, Ελληνική Λύση, ''Elliniki Lisi'') is a

political party in Greece Prior to the 2012 elections the characteristic Greek political system was a two-party system. The historically dominant parties have been New Democracy and the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). Under the electoral system a party needs to ...

founded by former MP Kyriakos Velopoulos. The party is

right wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

and has been described as ideologically

ultranationalist Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...

and

right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establ ...

. The party garnered 3.7% of the vote in the

2019 Greek legislative election Legislative elections were held in Greece on 7 July 2019. The elections were called by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on 26 May 2019 after the ruling Syriza party lost the European and local elections. They were the first national elections sin ...

, winning 10 out of the 300 seats in the

Hellenic Parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule (ancient Greece), Boule of the Greeks, Hellenes, label=none), also kno ...

and 4.18% of the vote in the 2019 European Parliament election in Greece, winning one seat in the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

History

The party was officially founded in June 2016 by journalist Kyriakos Velopoulos, formerly a

Popular Orthodox Rally The Popular Orthodox Rally or People's Orthodox Alarm (Greek language, Greek: Λαϊκός Ορθόδοξος Συναγερμός, ''Laikós Orthódoxos Synagermós''), often abbreviated to LAOS (ΛΑ.Ο.Σ.) as a pun on the Greek word for ''peo ...

(LAOS) member. It had previously been announced that a new party was to be founded by him. A formal presentation of the new party took place in October 2016 at an event in the

Peace and Friendship Stadium The Peace and Friendship Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Ειρήνης και Φιλίας, Stadio Eirinis kai Philias), commonly known by its acronym SEF, is a multi-purpose indoor arena that is located in Piraeus, on the coastal zone of Attica, Gre ...

. In the

, the party earned 3.7% of the vote, electing 10 MPs in the

. In the May 2019 European Parliament election, the party won 4.2% of the vote, electing a single MEP who sits with the

European Conservatives and Reformists The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti- federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) European pol ...

group.

Ideology and policies

Greek Solution is a Greek ultranationalist party that emphasizes action against illegal immigration, including installation of an electric fence on Greece's border with Turkey and detaining illegal immigrants on uninhabited islands as they await deportation. The party also advocates for shutting down

NGOs A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

operating in Greece, describing them as "trafficking companies". Velopoulos has expressed admiration for Hungarian Prime Minister

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian politician who has served as prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has presided over Fidesz since 1993, with a brief break between 20 ...

and the governance of his

Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; hu, Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán. It was formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young ...

party in Hungary, particularly the country's economic and migration policies. He has also claimed the party stands for "Greece first", in reference to U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's America First policy agenda. According to the party's website, Greek Solution plans to primarily invest in the

primary sector of the economy The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...

and

geostrategy Geostrategy, a subfield of geopolitics, is a type of foreign policy guided principally by geography, geographical factors as they inform, constrain, or affect political and military planning. As with all strategy, strategies, geostrategy is concer ...

. The party opposes the

Prespa agreement The Prespa agreement,; In mk, Договорот од Преспа, translit=Dogovorot od Prespa or Преспански договор, ''Prespanski dogovor'' also known as the Treaty of Prespa, the Prespes deal or the Prespa accord, is an agre ...

and the usage of the word " Macedonia" in the name of the neighbouring

Republic of North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

. Greek Solution is in favour of the proclamation of an EEZ and exploitation of the mineral wealth of Greece for heavy industry. It also supports the restructuring of the educational and health system. Greek Solution supports positions that are favorable to the

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

. Greek Solution seeks friendly relations with

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

as well as

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

by taking

pro-Russian Russophilia (literally love of Russia or Russians) is admiration and fondness of Russia (including the era of the Soviet Union and/or the Russian Empire), Russian history and Russian culture. The antonym is Russophobia. In the 19th Century, ...

stances, while being sceptical of increased defense cooperation with the countries aforementioned.

Election results

Hellenic Parliament

European Parliament

References

External links

Official website
{{Greek nationalism Political parties in Greece Political parties established in 2016 Eastern Orthodox political parties Nationalist parties in Greece Conservative parties in Greece Anti-immigration politics in Europe National conservative parties Right-wing populism in Greece Right-wing populist parties Right-wing parties in Europe 2016 establishments in Greece