Athens, Greece – Greece’s ruling conservative party, New Democracy (ND), experienced major defeats in the second round of local elections, both at the regional and municipal levels. The losses included key races in Athens, Thessaloniki, and five out of six regional contests.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged the setbacks, stating, “It was not an especially good night for New Democracy.” He also expressed concern about the high voter abstention rate in the runoffs.
One of the most significant upsets occurred in the municipal elections in Athens, where socialist-backed academic Haris Doukas secured nearly 56 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent Kostas Bakoyannis, who is also the nephew of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Turnout in Athens was lower in the second round compared to the first.
In Thessaloniki, socialist Stelios Angeloudis, who was not the official candidate of his party due to internal disputes, won handily against the ND-supported incumbent Konstantinos Zervas, with a 67 to 33 percent margin.
The region of Thessaly also saw a notable result as ND-backed incumbent governor Kostas Agorastos lost to Dimitris Kouretas, supported by PASOK and the left-wing Syriza parties.
New Democracy only managed to secure a victory in the Peloponnese region, where Kostas Peletidis was reelected as the mayor of Patras.
These results were seen by some as a significant challenge to the Mitsotakis government. Voter abstention in the second round indicated a lack of trust in local leadership and a degree of citizen indifference.
Stefanos Kasselakis, leader of the main opposition SYRIZA party, characterized the outcomes as the “first big crack in the Mitsotakis regime.” The local elections revealed a shifting political landscape and highlighted the current mood of voters in Greece.
