In the need for the political system to find a meaningful way of contacting the new generation in order to deal with the issue of abstention in the elections, which is growing from confrontation to confrontation, stressed the Mayor of Athens, Costas Bakoyannis in an interview.

On the occasion of the post he made after the March 25th student parade, in which he urged “to march out and listen respectfully to the children”, Mr. Bakoyannis clarified that the post concerns everyone, including himself, and underlined the need for substantial approach to young people.

“Will people born after 2004 come to the polls? How do we speak to this generation? It is a generation that has defined its life “from Kastellorizo ​​to Tempi”, a generation that is the most educated that has ever set foot on these lands, the most European, but also the first generation in the history of the country that will live worse than the previous one. What do we tell these kids? We will speak to them in a wooden language, with these barygoupas: What happened in ’65, what happened in ’74? Are we going to keep playing shadow battles and bring the ‘zombies out of the closets’ or are we going to start talking practically and realistically?” asked Mr. Bakoyiannis and referred to the abstention that grows from ballot box to ballot box.

“We have lost 1.2 million voters from 2009 to 2019 and the fear of all of us is that in the coming elections the abstention will be even greater. This concerns us all, the parties, the politicians, the self-government and the journalists. Because a new day will dawn the day after the election, we’ll look around and start the conversations “but where did all those people go? Why didn’t they come to the polls?”

“Let’s talk about real solutions to real problems”

Asked to comment on the current political situation and the debate about who will be the Prime Minister, Mr. Bakoyannis, speaking to Mega, said:

“We have and will have a Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Don’t have any doubt about it” and noted that elections are not beauty pageants or reality shows and that there should be a debate on real problems and programs.

From there, as he said, “we should all sit down and see practically how we can achieve those necessary changes so that we don’t experience what we have experienced again.” […] Can we afford not to talk about program positions, not to talk about whether or not there is convergence? For what are the real solutions to the real problems?’

“The world doesn’t expect magic, but let’s fight our battles”

In the observation that the people primarily choose the persons and this is also the case with him, the Mayor of Athens explained that the project is what is of the greatest importance for the selection at the ballot box. “People vote for “Bakoyannis” because he says something and above all, he does something. One may or may not like Bakoyannis. He can vote for New Democracy, vote for SYRIZA, vote for anything. What does he care at the end of the day? “Is my neighborhood cleaner? Does it have more greenery? What are you doing with the lights? The sidewalks, the asphalt?” The little ones make the big ones. People who see us do not expect magic, they know very well what is happening to them. They expect us to make the effort and fight the battles even if we don’t win them. This is the reality. I’ve been doing my job the same way since day one.”

For the table seats and the occupation of public space

Regarding the problem with the table seats in the city, Mr. Bakoyannis emphasized that this exists and that to deal with it a policy of “moderation” is needed, which the municipality is already implementing. In the public space, he stressed, we can all coexist, without exclusion, but within a certain context. As he mentioned, in the first phase the municipality imposes a fine on the shops that do not comply, in the second phase it removes the table seats, in businesses that take place twice a week and now through the new legislation, shops are sealed.

He even cited as an example of intervention to maintain balance in the public space the fact that in the Commercial Triangle, where eight new pedestrian streets will be built, no new permits for table seating will be given, at least for the next three years.

“The center should not become a tourist Disneyland. The center is the permanent resident and the so-called mixed uses. Mixed uses means that in the same place I can buy, anchors, knobs, I can sit and drink a coffee, eat, get spices”, he said and added that in the Commercial Triangle where eight new pedestrian streets will be created and four squares will be reconstructed and new table seats will be allowed for three years.”

The Lycabettus Theater “returns” with a Festival in September

Mr. Bakoyiannis also referred to the opening of the Lycabettus Theatre, after 15 whole years. “In September this year, we will organize a very nice Festival at the Lycabettus Theatre,” he said. Regarding the restoration work of the Theater in its original form, he said: “We are talking about a work of 1964, by the great architect Zenetos, which has been declared a monument. The Ministry of Culture, which explicitly gave us instructions and made it clear to us that we must restore it to its original form. This is not just “another theater”, it is a monument. We consciously choose to preserve its historical memory.”