The ruling conservative party New Democracy (ND) in Greece won the majority of regions at the end of the second round of local elections, which took place on Sunday, October 15. However, the right lost Athens and Thessaly, a region badly hit by floods in September, according to the Interior Ministry.
In the Greek capital, the prime minister’s nephew, outgoing mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, lost to the socialist candidate Haris Doukas. After more than 90% of the ballots were counted, the latter received around 55% of the vote compared to almost 44% for Mr. Bakoyannis.
In Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city, the ruling party’s candidate, outgoing mayor Konstantinos Zervas, also lost. In the first round of voting on October 8, the ND won a majority in seven of the country’s thirteen regions, including the largest regions of Athens and Thessaloniki. The vote took place this Sunday in six regions.
Massive abstention
After more than 80% of ballots were counted, ND lost Thessaly, an important agricultural production region of the country. It was devastated by heavy rains in September that killed 17 people, destroyed cotton and fruit production and killed hundreds of thousands of livestock.
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Outgoing governor Konstantinos Agorastos received more than 40% of the vote against independent candidate Kouretas Dimitrios (around 59%). ND, on the other hand, won in the Peloponnese region. This second round was marked by massive abstention. As of 5:30 p.m., participation was 31.2% compared to 42.6% in the first round.
In the parliamentary elections in June, the ND won clearly with 40.56% of the vote, around twenty points ahead of its main opponent, the radical left party Syriza. But the new government has faced criticism over its alleged misconduct in the fires and floods that hit Greece this summer.
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