The meeting of its Board of Directors took place on Wednesday in a particularly charged atmosphere Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE)where the disagreements and spikes that had emerged at the recent regular conference of the Union were revived.
Despite the initial intentions of a unifying spirit, the discussion developed into intense dialogue with accusations from both sides, mainly between the president of KEDE, Lazaros Kyrizoglouand the mayor of Athens and head of the major opposition, Harry Doukas.
The town halls are closed on December 19
According to the decision of the Conference, the president of KEDE proposed symbolic closure of Municipalities throughout the country on December 19one day before the passing of the state budget in Parliament, as well as protest rally outside Parliament.
Mr. Kyrizoglou’s proposal also includes meetings with the president of the Parliament and the representatives of the partiesin the context of the claims of the Local Government for financial support and institutional upgrading. Mr. Doukas, head of the “Self-Governing Now” faction, also agreed with the proposal.
Intense confrontation between Kyrizoglou and Doukas
The meeting took dimensions of political confrontation when the president of KEDE accused the mayor of Athens of “unreliability”, claiming that while there had been an agreement for a joint resolution at the Congress, Mr. Doukas finally submitted a separate proposal.
“We met and shook hands that we will go to a joint resolution and that we will raise the issue of the electoral law at the extraordinary general assembly on December 17. You didn’t keep your word. Behave and behave. You are completely unreliable,” stated Mr. Kyrizoglou in an intense tone.
Mr. Doukas replied that the decision for a separate resolution was taken unanimously by his faction: “I presented the resolution to the faction and we decided unanimously. Do I have to apologize for this? I said publicly, not in private, that you put a lot into the resolution,” he underlined, while asking the president to withdraw the characterizations.
The president of KEDE replied that he is not going to retractinsisting that he spoke “on the basis of the previous agreement”.
Disappointment and calls for unity
Many Board members expressed their dismay at the split picture. The first vice-president of KEDE, Grigoris Constantelloscharacteristically stated that “the milk was spilled at the last moment”, emphasizing that an important political capital of unity was lost.
In the same mood, the mayor of Agrini, George Papanastasiouemphasized that “we showed an image that does not befit the Self-Government” and warned that “no government will take us seriously with such disagreements”.
The general secretary of KEDE, Dimitris Kafantariscalled on members to maturely approach her extraordinary general meeting of December 17where the new Local Government Code, which is expected to enter public consultation within the month, will be discussed.
Peletidis intervention on the factional differences
Finally, the mayor of Patreon, Kostas Peletidistried to tone down, emphasizing that the differences between the factions are more superficial than substantial.
“For so many years you made similar and unanimous decisions. You have a common strategy – your differences are in the details,” he noted, however, separating the position of his own faction in terms of the form of the mobilizations.