A lawyer for a Greek far-left extremist jailed for 11 murders says Greece's supreme court has ordered lower judges to reconsider his request for a temporary leave from prison, which had earlier been rejected.
Dimitris Koufodinas is serving 11 life terms for his role as the main hit man for the November 17 group, which killed 23 people between 1975-2000.
The 61-year-old is in intensive care due to the effects of a hunger strike he launched May 2 to protest the rejection of his furlough bid — which has sparked a violent arson and vandalism campaign by far-left sympathizers.
Red paint is seen on the wall of the Parliament building as Greek Presidential Guards, changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown Soldier in Athens, Tuesday, May 21, 2019. A group of about 10 people threw red paint at parliament and set off a smoke bomb as Greece's Supreme Court is hearing an appeal against the denial of a temporary leave of absence from prison of a hunger striking extremist serving multiple life sentences for the killings of 11 people by the country's deadliest far-left group. (AP PhotoThanassis Stavrakis)
Lawyer Ioanna Kourtovik said Thursday the supreme court agreed to have Koufodinas' demand re-examined by a panel of judges in the central town of Volos, where Koufodinas' prison is.
A policeman speaks on his cell phone as red paint is seen on the wall of the Parliament building in Athens, Tuesday, May 21, 2019. A group of about 10 people threw red paint at parliament and set off a smoke bomb as Greece's Supreme Court heard an appeal against the denial of a temporary leave of absence from prison of a hunger striking extremist serving multiple life sentences for the killings of 11 people by the country's deadliest far-left group. (AP PhotoThanassis Stavrakis)
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed satisfaction on Monday after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor.
Candidates from his pro-European Union centrist Civic Coalition, or running with the party's backing, won in a series of cities in the second round of local elections held on Sunday, among them Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw and Rzeszow.
“It is very difficult to clearly say who won and who lost,” Tusk said Monday. “But if we compare these results, especially in the most attractive places, on these attractive battlefields ... then I actually have reasons for satisfaction.”
“Law and Justice has simply disappeared in many places,” Tusk added at a news conference, referring to the main opposition party.
The results put Civic Coalition in a favorable position as the country looks next to elections to the European Parliament on June 9.
Mayors were chosen in a total of 748 cities and towns where no single candidate won at least 50% of the vote during the first round on April 7.
Candidates for Tusk’s party also recaptured cities where they had not held power for many years, including Zielona Gora, Legnica and Torun.
The local and regional elections were viewed as a test for Tusk's pro-European Union government four months after it took power at the national level. Sunday's second round strengthened the Tusk government's leverage in the cities, which should facilitate cooperation on development projects and allotment of EU funds.
Tusk's allies also won in some places in the first round two weeks ago, including in Warsaw, where incumbent Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was an easy victor.
In the first round, the right-wing Law and Justice, prevailed on the level of regional assemblies in the country's 16 provinces, where it took 34.3% of the votes, while Tusk's Civic Coalition got 30.6%. Law and Justice governed on the national level from 2015-23.
Tusk’s socially liberal Civic Coalition traditionally has strong support in cities, while Law and Justice has a more solid base in conservative rural areas, particularly in eastern Poland.
Civic Coalition is the largest group in a three-party coalition that governs the EU nation of 38 million people. The coalition is pro-European Union but otherwise spans a wide ideological spectrum with left-wing politicians in the Left party as well as conservatives in the Third Way.
Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Campaign posters promote candidates as Poles vote in local and regional elections in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
FILE - Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacts during his and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting with students in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk is celebrating a victory on Monday April 22, 2024 after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
FILE - Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk listens to the media in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 15, 2024. Tusk is celebrating a victory on Monday April 22, 2024 after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
