From tennis champion to far-right firebrand: the rise of Afroditi Latinopoulou
In short: Before she was a polarizing figure in the European Parliament, Afroditi Latinopoulou was a decorated athlete. Now, the Greek politician is at the center of a legal storm involving allegations of forged signatures and a high-stakes battle over parliamentary immunity.
Born in Thessaloniki in 1991, Afroditi Latinopoulou’s early life was defined by athletic excellence rather than politics. A former tennis player, she secured 15 Greek championships and 4 European titles before an injury ended her career in 2013. However, her transition from the court to the courtroom was swift; after graduating from the Law School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2017, she entered the political arena.
Her political trajectory began within the New Democracy party, where she served as a district secretary. However, her tenure was marked by increasing friction. In 2022, New Democracy banned her from running with the party following controversial comments regarding TV presenter Danae Barka. This rupture led her to join the 'Patriotic Force for Change' under Konstantinos Bogdanos, only to later found her own party, 'PATRIDA − Afroditi Latinopoulou', in March 2023.
The path to the European Parliament in 2024 was fraught with legal hurdles. Her initial party was barred from the May 2023 elections due to name similarities with Bogdanos's party, prompting her to rename her movement the 'Voice of Reason'. Her ideology—characterized by ultranationalism, anti-immigration stances, and opposition to LGBTQ+ rights—has drawn intense condemnation from Greek journalists, who have labeled her rhetoric as hate speech.
Recent years have brought significant legal scrutiny. In September 202HT, reports emerged of an EPPO investigation into whether her party was lawfully established, following a complaint by Bogdanos. By September 2026, the European Parliament voted to waive her parliamentary immunity, allowing Greek judicial proceedings to investigate allegations that forged signatures were used to meet the 200-voter requirement for the party's founding. Latinopoulou has denied these claims, using the platform to attack EU leadership.
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