Greek Parliament to convene with Golden Dawn MPs in handcuffs

The Greek Parliament is meeting today for its first session after early elections more than a week ago. That poll was won by the left-wing SYRIZA party, previously in opposition, who together with the nationalist Independent Greeks have formed a coalition government rather quickly.

The new cabinet will ask for a vote of confidence sometime at the beginning of next week. The MPs will begin work by taking oaths of office.

Seventeen legislators from the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which once again came in third place in the elections, will also participate in the opening session. Some of them, however, will attend in handcuffs, because they are in custody awaiting trial.

Greek justice officials definitively decided today that the top leaders of Golden Dawn, led by party head Nikolaos Michaloliakos, will stand trial on charges of criminal conspiracy. They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The trial, which will probably begin on 20 April, will involve all 18 former MPs and 54 other party officials. Law enforcement began investigating Golden Dawn in connection with the murder of a left-wing activist and popular singer, Pavlos Fysas, in September 2013, an incident that was the culmination of several years of ongoing violent activity targeting immigrants, left-wingers and sexual minorities.