In a charged atmosphere, the Board of Directors of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) met on Wednesday, where the disagreements and peaks that had emerged at the recent regular conference of the Union were brought up.
According to the airetos.grdespite the initial intentions for a unifying atmosphere, the process evolved into an intense dialogue with both sides characterizations and complaints, mainly between the president of KEDE, Lazarus Kyrizoglou, and 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 Congress, the president of KEDE proposed a symbolic closure of the Municipalities throughout the country on December 19, one day before the passing of the state budget in the Parliament, as well as a protest gathering outside the Parliament.
Kyrizoglou’s proposal also includes meetings with the president of the Parliament and representatives of the parties, in the context of the claims of the Local Self-Government for financial support and institutional upgrading.
The head of the “Self-Governing Now” faction also agreed with the proposal. Harry Doukas.
Against Kyrizoglou – Doukas
The tone in the debate rose, when the president of KEDE accused the mayor of Athens of “unreliability”, arguing that while there was an agreement for a joint resolution at the Congress, Mr. Doukas finally chose to submit 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”, said Mr. Kyrizoglou in a strong tone.
The mayor of Athens reacted strongly, replying that the decision for a separate resolution was taken unanimously by his faction, after consultation.
“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,” said Mr. Doukas, asking the president to retract the personal characterizations, according to airetos.gr.
Mr. Kyrizoglou replied: “I do not revoke the designation. I spoke about unreliability based on the previous agreement.”
Disappointment with the dimension
Several members of the Board of Directors expressed their disappointment at the tension and division within the Self-Government.
The first vice-president of KEDE, Grigoris Constantellos, noted that despite the massive participation of the delegates and the richness of the topics, “the milk was spilled at the last moment”, stressing that an important political capital of unity was lost.
The mayor of Agrini, Giorgos Papanastasiou, moved in the same spirit, who admitted that “we showed an image that does not befit the Self-Government”, while he warned that “no government will take us seriously with such disagreements”.
The general secretary of KEDE, Dimitris Kafantaris, called on the members to approach with maturity the extraordinary general meeting on December 17, where the new Local Government Code will be discussed, which will be put up for consultation within the month.
The debate was attempted to be “closed” by the mayor of Patreon, Kostas Peletidis, who pointed out that the differences between the factions are superficial: “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.