2024-03-03 11:13:23
Tomorrow’s elections for the new board of directors of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece are also of local interest, as in three of the four factions there are nominations from Epirus municipalities, with three of the candidates contesting their election.
Undisputed favorite for the presidency is the current president of KEDE, mayor of Ampelokipi Menemeni Lazaros Kyrizoglou, with the “Modern Strong Municipalities” faction close to New Democracy reportedly controlling the majority of the 535 electors in total. In 2019, led by the mayor of Trikala Dimitris Papastergiou, he elected 19 members to the KEDE Board of Directors, which became 20 together with K. Bakoyannis, who as the mayor of Athens participated ex officio in the outgoing board of directors.
The ballot of the “Modern Strong Municipalities” faction, which consists of 29 mayors and 15 councilors, includes the mayor Nikolaos Skoufas Konstantinos Papasiozos and the councilor, head of the major opposition in the Municipality of Igoumenitsa Ioannis Lolos.
As an outsider, the mayor of Athens Haris Doukas enters the fray, who leads the joint PASOK-SYRIZA “Self-Government NOW” ballot, with the chances of causing a coup and in KEDE not being on his side, as the correlations of forces are a given. Theoretically, however, his faction can be a strong pole, as it will combine forces, in relation to the divided opposition in the previous Board of Directors. And given that this time the additional seat is added to the PASOK-SYRIZA faction, as the new mayor of Athens X. Doukas participates ex officio in the new Board of Directors, the number of members can reach 12.
17 mayors, most from PASOK and some from SYRIZA, and 15 municipal councilors participate in the ballot of the “Self-Government NOW” faction. Among the mayors is the name of Thomas Bega, with the mayor of Ioannina also making a public statement about his candidacy, asking for the support of his fellow elected officials and committing to his consistent and competitive presence.
“The local government is the institution that is closest to the citizen, so it must be strong and independent. We are determined to claim and not beg for what is ours. To secure the statutory resources from each government to be able to become more efficient. To open new roads with the most direct interconnection of our municipalities with the European Union and its financial tools, through the establishment of Administrative Authorities at the level of municipalities or at the level of Regional Unions of Municipalities.
The time has come for the KEDE to fulfill its role and become the institution that will fight to secure the rights of primary self-government with a single purpose: the best service to the citizens.
Voices from all over the country should be heard in the top collective body of primary self-government. In this direction, as mayor of Ioannina, the capital of Epirus, I ask for the support of my fellow elected officials and commit to my consistent and competitive presence. I owe it to the citizens who honored me with their vote. I owe it to my country. I owe it to the Local Government which I serve with passion”, he says in his statement.
Position on the new Board of Directors of KEDE is also claimed by the “Popular Rally” with the mayor of Patreon K. Peletidis. Although the “People’s Gathering” ballot voters are 15 and it needs 18 votes to elect a member, it is assumed that it will find them. Among the 15 candidates is the head of the “People’s Rally of the Municipality of Ioannina” Olly Tsoumani.
Finally, the “Coordination of Voters” also enters the elections, with references to the extra-parliamentary Left, with the mayor of Gavdou L. Stefanakis and the municipal councilor of Petroupolis N. Sakoutis, who are not contesting a seat on the new Board of Directors.
535 electors participate in the General Assembly: all the mayors (332), the municipal councilors, who have been elected as representatives of each Regional Union of Municipalities in the General Assembly of KEDE (178), and those who were members of the Board of Directors and Supervisory Board of KEDE during previous self-governing period as long as municipal councilors have been elected and retain this status (25).