The Democratic Patriotic Movement “Niki" (
Greek: Δημοκρατικό Πατριωτικό Κίνημα “Νίκη”,
romanized: Dimokratikó Patriotikó Kínima “Níki”),[11] often shortened to simply Niki (Victory), is a
Greek political party in the
conservative space. It was founded by
educatorDimitris Natsios in 2019.[12]In the parliamentary elections of June 2023, the party received a percentage of 3.70%, electing 10 deputies to the Hellenic Parliament in which today, it forms the 7th Parliamentary Group.[13]
Its main programmatic positions are defined as the triptych "Faith, Homeland, Family",[14] the radical restructuring and improvement of
education, the change of the regime for the acquisition of
Greek citizenship by immigrants and refugees, the adoption of measures to solve the
demographic problem , such as supporting large families and the
traditional family.[15][16]
History
The party was founded by the public education teacher and theologian Dimitris Natsios on 17 June 2019 in Thessaloniki, after the signing of the
Prespa Agreement and one month before the 2019 parliamentary elections, in which he did not participate.[17] He emerged in the polls shortly before the May 2023 elections.[18][19] In the elections of June 2023, it collected 192,154 votes, i.e. 3.7% and entered the Greek Parliament with 10 seats.[20] He gathered the largest percentages in Northern Greece and specifically in
Macedonia.[21]
In the
European elections of June 2024 it gathered a percentage of 4.42% and elected an MEP, Nikos Anadiotis, to the
European Parliament. It formed the 6th Parliamentary Group of Greece in the European Parliament.[22]
Victory has been described as a party that belongs to the broader space of the
far-right[29] with Orthodox beliefs and that have been described as "ultra-religious".[30][31][32] It is often described as conservative with
faith,
homeland and
family as the main axes,[33] however the party president denies the
left-right political arc stating that they do not identify with the right, the left or the centre.[34][35] According to the party's manifesto, former
politicians, government officials and
freemasons are not accepted as party members[19] due to evident corruption among these groups. The party also demands politicians who have participated in governments that are accused of wasting public money and increasing the
public debt to be held accountable in
justice, as well as to limit their right to re-election.[36]
The party refers to characteristics of the
Greek nation which it promotes such as
language,
history and
tradition,[37] while it places special emphasis on
education, criticizing certain content of school books and prejudicing the writing of new ones.[38][19] It opposes
sex education in schools and abortions.[31] The party takes a negative stance on the issue of LGBT
adoption and
marriage.[39] It states its opposition to certain medical procedures, such as the vaccination during Covid-19 and questioning the safety of these vaccines.[40][41] The party has endorsed
vaccine hesitant views during the COVID-19 pandemic.[40][42][43]
In matters of foreign policy, the party completely rejects the
Prespa Agreement.[44] It maintains a neutral attitude towards third countries, believing that the
Byzantine imperial heritage, the
Orthodox unifying character, can feed an international focus of stability and balance in the
Balkan Peninsula.[45] It disagrees with Greece's support for Ukraine regarding
Russia's invasion, instead preferring neutrality.[46] The party has been referred to as "pro-Russia".[32] Regarding Greece's
relations with Turkey the party argues that, since Turkey is acting aggressively, Greece should be answering with force.[40]
Party structure
Central bodies
Omaichmiaa or Homaichmía (Ομαιχμία or ὁμαιχμία) : 28 members of the party who appointed by the body of "Vouleftirion" to represent and publicly express the views and positions of the party, after having verified their integrity of character, their generally honest life, their patriotism, their spirit of cooperation and their experiential orthodox faith.
President : elected between the members of the "Omaichmia" and is the head of the party.
Vouleftirionb(Βουλευτήριον) : 7 member executive boby, the main body of the party, which shall ensure the smooth functioning of the party in accordance with its statutory principles. The first five of its seven members elected by a plenary congress, and the remaining two chosen from the first five. "Vouleftirion" has the final say in approving admission of members to the party, in assigning the work of the administration sectors, the local communities, and the general governance of the party. The "Vouleftirion" select one of its members as the "Organizational Coordinator", who convey the decisions of the body to the party organs. The members of "Vouleftirion" shall determine on their own and depending on the circumstances, the dismissal or change of members as they are not subject to control by the other organs. Members of the body shall not officially represent the Party, may not stand as candidates in elections of any kind and shall not be remunerated for their work. It is worth noting that according to an article in the newspaper "
To Vima", some clerics attribute to him the characterization of the "invisible authority" according to the standards of the
Filiki Eteria[47]
Thematic Groups: The Thematic Group produce policy thinking in specific matters and develop political positions, which propose for adoption from the party. They are responsible for promoting the party's positions in their sector through articles, broadcasts, participation in conferences and contacts with sectoral peer or thematic institutions. Any member of Niki with relevant thematic expertise can freely join the Groups. According to some websites, this structure seems to be following a different strategy from what the other parties have been used to so far, as it distributes responsibilities to all its members all over Greece and not only in Athens. Niki has today 20 Thematic Groups. [48]
Decentralized Bodies
Local Communities: are the central organizational unit of the party.The members of the party are organised in Local Communities in every municipality of the country. To become a member of Niki, one must be Greek in origin, or a proven
philhellene, over 18 years of age, who has not been deprived of his civil rights and provided that he accepts the declared principles of the party and respects the Greek Orthodox character of the
nation state. Members are not accepted who have served in governments or participated in votes in the national parliament or the European Parliament or have been finally convicted for acts contrary to the ethics of the party. Persons who do not accept the
Greek Orthodox tradition are also not accepted as members.[49]
Prefectural Communities consisting of the local communities of the prefecture.