Far-right activism and politics In 1985, Voridis was appointed secretary general of the youth wing of the
National Political Union (EPEN), In 1994, he founded was elected president of the far-right
Hellenic Front party, whose motto was "Red Card to Illegal Immigrants". He unsuccessfully ran for
Athens mayor in 1998 and 2002. In the
national elections of 2000, he ran without success together with
fascist Konstantinos Plevris. In the
next general election, in 2004, the Front gathered only approximately 7 thousand votes or 0.1% of the total, and, within a year, ceased its political activity and merged with the
Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) party, with Voridis becoming member of the LAOS leading council. In the
2006 local elections, Voridis later ran in the LAOS ticket for
East Attica and, after gaining 5% of the vote, was elected
prefectural councillor. On
16 September 2007, running with the LAOS ticket, he was elected Member of the
Greek Parliament, with 8,663 direct votes in the
Attica district.
Parliamentary career and government In November 2011, after the outbreak of the
Greek government-debt crisis, Voridis was appointed
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, and Networks in the
coalition government headed by
Lucas Papademos. In February 2012, after the introduction in the Parliament of the
bill enacting the
second bailout package, Voridis, dissenting from the LAOS line, came out in support of the bill and was expelled from the party, though he retained his portfolio after consultations with the prime minister. A few days later, he joined
New Democracy and surrendered his parliamentary seat to LAOS. As Minister, Voridis proceeded to open up to competition professional sectors such as drivers, a measure he had previously opposed. On 10 June 2014, Voridis was appointed
Minister for Health by prime minister
Antonis Samaras. His appointment was reportedly criticised by members of the Greek Jewish community. Voridis served as chief parliamentary representative of the New Democracy party during the period 2012–24. On 9 July 2019, he was appointed
Minister for Rural Development and Food in the cabinet of
New Democracy leader and prime minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis. A senior Israeli diplomat stated to the
Jerusalem Post that Israel will not work with the new minister.
World Jewish Congress head
Ronald Lauder issued a statement after the election saying that prime minister Mitsotakis "is a true ally of Israel and has always demonstrated deep support and friendship for the Jewish community in Greece," and pointing out the "need to eradicate any and all remnants of antisemitism and neo-Nazi ideology from within the country." On 5 January 2021, he was appointed
Minister for the Interior, a position he held until 23 April 2023. On 27 June 2023, he assumed the portfolio of
Minister of the State. On 15 March 2025, he was sworn in as
Minister for Migration and Asylum. In 2025, he introduced a bill aimed at "tightening" the country's immigration framework that will introduce stricter measures for migrants who remain in the country illegally after being denied asylum. He pointed to the "broader shift in European migration policy":In the past, there was the illusion that benefits and integration policies would solve the problem. This has collapsed. Europe has changed its strategy. Now the priority is effective border security and the return of illegal immigrants. In May 2025, the
European Public Prosecutor's Office in Athens announced that its investigation discovered an alleged organised
fraud scheme involving agricultural funds, as well as corruption involving officials of the Payment and Audit Agency of Community Aid, Guidance, and Guarantees (
Οργανισμός Πληρωμών και Ελέγχου Κοινοτικών Ενισχύσεων Προσανατολισμού και Εγγυήσεων, ΟΠΕΚΕΠΕ) of the
Ministry of Rural Development and Food. Subsequently, Voridis resigned his government portfolio, along with the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Deputy Minister of Rural Development, the Deputy Minister of Digital Governance, and the Secretary General of Rural Development and Food, whose offices appeared in the Prosecutor's report. After the report was submitted to the Greek Parliament, Voridis stated that it contains "no allegations whatsoever" of his involvement but he considers it his duty to resign so that he dedicates himself to clearing his name in the courts.
On gay marriage Same-sex marriage was legalized in
Greece on 16 February 2024, when the relevant legislation was signed into law, after being approved in parliament by 175 votes supporting it, 77 opposing it, 46 abstentions, and 2 declarations of being present. During the parliamentary debate on the legislation, which was submitted by the
recently re-elected New Democracy government, Voridis expressed his opposition, citing the ostensible need to first redefine constitutionally the institution of marriage, and abstained from the vote. Twenty-one MPs from the New Democracy ruling party voted against the bill, while thirty-one, including Voridis, abstained from the vote. The majority of opposition MPs voted in support of it. Greece, thus, became the 16th
European Union country == Personal life ==