Greek local elections: New Democracy unleashes all cadres – The 3 thorny issues

With new… roadmaps for ministers, MPs and party officials, New Democracy is throwing itself into the “battle” of the second electoral round in regions and municipalities starting today. Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself will be in the foreground once again, as soon as he returns from today’s trip to Varna for the tripartite summit, in order to strengthen the faction’s “elect”, who did not achieve 43% of the vote from the first Sunday. Greece – Bulgaria – Romania. With the prompt “everyone out, and coordinated” the government and the party are rallying the faction for the second time, seeking the maximum possible mobilization for victory.

Greek main opposition: The first tremors in the SYRIZA parliamentary group

This means that in this intervening week, ruling party cadres (and first-class government officials) are imminently expected in the Aegean and Ionian islands, in the North, etc. The focus is mainly on two regions, Western Macedonia and the Ionian islands, for which the center-right faction is now anxious for a possible change in leadership in relation to 2019. In these two districts, after all, there are upcoming contests of that have the flavor of the governing party, as the official New Democracy candidates (the current regional governors Giorgos Kasapidis who had won from the first round from the first round in 2019 and Rodi Kratsa) have strong contenders against them (Giorgos Amanatidis and Yiannis Trepeklis respectively) . The municipality of Thessaloniki is also under the microscope, where Konstantinos Zervas is clashing with Stelios Angeloudis.

“Assertion of Sovereignty”

From the blue camp, the dominant political message of the first Sunday is the “confirmation of the sovereignty” of the ND and through the local communities, three months after the sweeping victory in the national elections and the collapse of SYRIZA. Of the regional “battles”, which continue next Sunday, only in one, in Thessaly, as Kyriakos Mitsotakis also scathingly commented, there is a presence of the opposition, as in all the others (Northern Aegean, Eastern Macedonia – Thrace, etc. ) the problem for the faction lies in the split of the blue forces.

Thessaly was indeed treated by the ND as a special case with big question marks and precarious assessments after the destruction of the plain by the floods. Kostas Agorastos, who with the support of ND (which did not withdraw after the dramatic events) has to face Dimitris Kouretas, supported by SYRIZA and PASOK, managed to write… 4 ahead of his percentage but was far from 55 .75% that he had obtained in 2019 on the first election Sunday across the street and then in a joint candidacy between SYRIZA and PASOK.

“Development and everyday life”

In any case, Maximou now wants to open an even greater gait, putting forward the double target of “reforms – everyday life”. Mitsotakis in his first official reaction last night chose to put aside references to the original target for “13 out of 13” (in the regions), saying that “the blue on the map of these elections must be the blue of creation”, referring to the party’s official color but that the government will work with all regional governors and mayors. “Problems have no color… Citizens demand both accountability and transparency,” he said.

Obviously, however, the government will  politically use its successes to strengthen its forces, as reflected in the first local government ballot. It is no coincidence that the blue faction comment on regions in which percentages were recorded above and beyond those of the ND parties, such as in the largest region of the country, Attiki (Nikos Hardalias), or in the second largest, Central Macedonia (Apostolos Tzitzikostas) as well as for areas that are traditionally not favorable New Democracy, such as Western Greece (Nektarios Farmakis).