Kyriakos Velopoulos, Afroditi Latinopoulou, and Ilias Kasidiaris are all competing to claim the mantle of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) — each vying to be recognized as the true Greek equivalent of the far-right party that has shaken European politics. The historic electoral victories of the AfD have sent shockwaves far beyond Germany’s borders, intensifying an already heated debate about the rapid rise of far-right parties across Europe. That conversation has now arrived in full force in Greece, where political leaders operating to the right of New Democracy see a golden opportunity to expand their influence and boost their polling numbers. Each is eager to convince Greek voters that they are the authentic local counterpart of the AfD — the movement credited with triggering a far-right political upheaval in Germany — drawing parallels between the German party’s agenda and the Greek political landscape.
Velopoulos: Greek Solution carries the same current as the AfD
While the Greek government has recorded successes in areas such as immigration policy and unemployment, far-right parties continue to exploit issues that remain a source of public anxiety — the cost of living, rising crime rates, and the housing crisis — weaving them into their longstanding nationalist narratives. The leader of Greek Solution made the most explicit comparison yet between his party’s momentum and the broader surge of the European far right, arguing that a powerful undercurrent of support for Greek Solution has formed within Greek society — one that closely mirrors the electoral rise of the AfD on the German political scene.
“Greek Solution carries the same current as the AfD,” Kyriakos Velopoulos told Action 24, expressing his belief that voters across Greece and Europe are increasingly gravitating toward political movements that prioritize national interests, tighter immigration controls, and the protection of domestic economies. Afroditi Latinopoulou’s identification with the AfD runs deeper still, rooted more in ideology than political positioning. The president of the Voice of Reason party and MEP has publicly championed the AfD’s agenda on immigration and security, and has openly celebrated its electoral successes, describing them as a “return to reason.”
“It is something very hopeful”
Commenting on the German party’s rise to parapolitika.gr, she stated: “It is something very hopeful, because all these years the people of Europe — ordinary citizens and taxpayers — have had to endure an open-borders policy, illegal immigration, mass illegal entry, and the Islamization of Europe.” She added: “It is now self-evident that everyone wants a return to reason. People finally want their countries back — safe and secure — and they certainly do not want their hard-earned tax money going toward housing, healthcare, benefits, and everything else for anyone who arrives in Europe from Pakistan or Afghanistan.”
Ideologically, however, it is Ilias Kasidiaris who aligns most closely with the harder nationalist wing that the AfD represents. In the past, the AfD faced accusations from German politicians of having contacts between its members and the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn. Today, Kasidiaris is actively courting the protest vote that the AfD has captured in Germany — a move that could put significant electoral pressure on both Velopoulos and Latinopoulou in the polls.
*Originally published in Apogevmatini
