Greek regional elections: setback for Nea Dimokratia
In Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's governing Nea Dimokratia (ND) has emerged as the strongest party from the local and regional elections. However, it lost in the country's two largest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki, where mayors supported by the Socialists (Pasok) have been elected. The ND-backed regional governor of Thessaly was also voted out. A warning?
The first defeat for Mitsotakis
The prime minister miscalculated, says Naftemporiki:
“The regions and municipalities are the voice of the citizens and not of those who follow a government's instructions. The prime minister made the mistake of fully politicising the local elections. Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally endorsed certain regional governors and mayors in large municipalities and regions who came from Nea Demokratia. ... The result was the first major defeat since the 2019 elections, most pronounced in the country's two largest municipalities - Athens and Thessaloniki - which fell into the hands of Pasok with the support of broader forces.”
A mini-revolt
Syriza MEP and journalist Stelios Kouloglou writes in TVXS:
“All in all, this has only put a small crack in Nea Dimokratia's hegemony given that the vast majority of municipalities and regions are under its control. But the warning for the second round is far more urgent: citizens have expressed their dissatisfaction with government policies at the first opportunity. At the next opportunity the reaction will be even stronger.”