Athens, Thessaloniki changing mayors in local government runoff

Athens and Thessaloniki voted to change mayors during Sunday’s runoff local government elections.

In Athens, incumbent Kostas Bakoyannis (44.6%) lost to Haris Doukas (55.94%), with 80% of votes counted.

In Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis led with 67,22% against the incumbent Konstantinos Zervas (44.06%), and 80% of votes counted.

In the third largest municipality of the country, Patras, incumbent Kostas Peletidis won a third term, with 75% of votes counted, receiving 56.86% over his opponent Konstantinos Svolis (43.14%).

Bakoyannis, Athens

Outgoing Athens mayor Kostas Bakoyannis congratulated the new mayor of Greece’s capital after 80% of the votes counted were reached.

Bakoyannis said he had spoken with Doukas to “congratulate him on his great victory and to thank him for a very good, substantial electoral campaign we had and, obviously, to assure him that my team and I are at his absolute discretion to organize a cohesive and serious transition.”

After thanking his team, the outgoing mayor said the electoral result was his responsibility alone. He also thanked Athenians “for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and for allowing me to serve you. I leave City Hall with my head held high, as I entered it.”

Doukas wins Athens

Athenians “believed the impossible” and made his win over incumbent mayor Kostas Bakoyannis come true against all odds, newly elected mayor of Athens Haris Doukas said on Sunday.

Following results that confirmed he won by a wide margin – 55.96% over Bakoyannis’ 44.04% with all votes counted nationally – Doukas spoke of “a beautiful voyage that now begins.”

He added, “We have a great opportunity to turn what we spoke about into action. We shall try very hard to succeed in that,” and thanked among others PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis and the SYRIZA-supported candidate Kostas Zachariadis, who did not make it into runoffs, for supporting him.
Angeloudis, Thessaloniki

Stelios Angeloudis, who won Thessaloniki’s mayoral race in Sunday’s runoff elections, said that his team’s obligation was to give back to the city residents all they deserve, in statements after defeating incumbent Konstantinos Zervas.

“I want to thank all Thessaloniki residents, both those who honored us by their votes, but also those who chose differently. Also those who chose not to vote. It is now our responsibility to win their trust again through our work,” Angeloudis said.
Angeloudis won the race with 67.31% of the votes, with nearly all votes counted nationally (98.79%).

Third term for Patras mayor

Kostas Peletidis was elected to a third term as mayor of Patras by 56.70% of voters and 98.55% of all votes counted nationally in Sunday’s runoff local government elections.

Peletidis, who is supported by the Communist Party, said that Patras residents “defended their victories, the future of our children, and our city.”

“The huge effort by the beneficiaries of the system and mechanisms of the government to get rid of ‘Laiki Sispirosi’ did not succeed,” he charged. “We can and must push obstacles aside. Whatever we lose is won by the few. The fighting demand of our rights from every government will continue,” he added.

PM Mitsotakis

Sunday’s runoff elections for regional governors and mayors “was not a particularly good night for New Democracy,” Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the same night.

“But I want to remind that the political results in terms of the distribution of party forces fundamentally came out last Sunday,” he underlined, referring to the October 8 elections. “It is obvious there was an opposition rallying of several forces against ND candidates. In the final end, ND took 41% and not 51%, and obviously this step for many ND-supported candidates from 41% to 51% was not a particularly easy one.” Mitsotakis referred to the 43% threshold candidates had to reach last Sunday in order to be voted mayor or regional governor outright instead of heading into runoffs this Sunday.

The premier also noted that the particularly high voter abstention “should concern all of us,” in the runoffs, which involved a total of 6 regions and 84 cities, including the three largest (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras).

Otherwise, he said, “the government ought to be well-grounded and to receive political feedback every moment, and to fight with its entire power to improve Greek people’s daily lives.” He added that his government had “supported local government at regional and municipal level substantially, and we look forward to a creative and productive collaboration with all elected regional governors and mayors.”