Late this afternoon, the former deputy governor of Piraeus Giorgos Gavrilis announced his candidacy for mayor of Piraeus. In a special event held in a hall of the Piraeus Association, Giorgos Gavrilis, in the presence of dozens of friends and associates, officially took over the helm of the “Piraeus for All” municipal faction, as a candidate for mayor of Piraeus, for the self-governing elections to be held next October.

Giorgos Gavrilis was deputy regional governor of Piraeus (2014-2019) with the combination “Dynami Zois” led by Rena Dourou, while for a number of years he was a trade union official active in the “Electric Railway” Workers’ Union, the Piraeus Labor Center and the GSEE.

“I express great joy and emotion, looking around the room and seeing people I have met from this exciting life journey in political, social and labor struggles. Friends, colleagues, compatriots who may not have had the same political path but through our agreements and disagreements we have conquered a relationship of appreciation and trust. I assume the responsibility and in cooperation with a large group of executives, to work and form a large democratic, progressive coalition that wants and can be the alternative proposal for the Municipality of Piraeus. Self-government is thirsty for new and fresh ideas, for a new self-governing paradigm. Self-government needs an example that will not have easy identifications with the decisions of the central state when they do not benefit the city and much more, it will not have easy identifications with government and party decisions when they do not serve the city. The self-governing paradigm will not have dependency relationships with small and large business interests. We can form a new majority current that will be able to claim the historical upheaval in the Municipality of Piraeus, which will not be politically neutral, but will have a political identity, not a party one. From the unanimous decision of the central committee of SYRIZA-PS to support my candidacy, I keep the statement of Alexis Tsipras, who said that “I have the honor today to propose the support of an honest fighter of the Left and of self-government, George Gavrilis, as a candidate for mayor of Piraeus”, said the candidate for mayor of Piraeus during his speech.

The co-founder of the faction “Piraeus for all” and professor of NTUA, Nikos Belavilas, spoke during the event: “One of us, George Gavrilis, takes the helm of the faction, we hand it over with joy, all of us unanimously. Comrade George, together with the thanks to the 10,000 voters who voted for us in 2019, a strong wish to double the number of voters in the fall of 2023,” said the Piraeus municipal councilor meaningfully.

The mayor of Keratsiniou-Drapetsonas Christos Vrettakos also gave this: “Georgos is a man who can concentrate in Piraeus all the talents that we want the city to have. Giorgos knows how to roll up his sleeves and find solutions to problems, he knows how to rally people around him, convincing them that we can all create better conditions for our neighborhoods together.”

For his part, the mayor of Perama, Yiannis Lagoudakis, emphasized during his speech: “I know that you are not afraid of difficult things. I know his integrity, his honesty, his abilities, but above all his well-documented and very convincing political discourse. My cooperation with Giorgos Gavrilis was impeccable, he was a fair deputy governor for all the municipalities of the wider Piraeus area. He was the one who brought the entire local government of Piraeus to the same table to deal with the major problems of our regions. I am sure that Giorgos Gavrilis will bring about the progressive change that the men and women of Piraeus so desperately need.”

The mayor of Nice – Ag. I. Rentis Giorgos Ioakeimidis referred to the character of Giorgos Gavrilis: “No one can question the morals and abilities of Giorgos. It is very important for all of us that he continues to give back to the public and of course he will have us by his side.”

The former mayor of Korydallos, Stavros Kasimatis, who was also present at the event, said among other things: “Georgos Gavrilis is the most reliable, the most honest, the most effective politician I have met in my career. And if you combine all this with his genuine social sensitivity and solidarity, you realize that Piraeus has in front of him at this moment, an ideal candidate. George has learned to fight, he has learned to win. I wish with all my heart that he will be the winner so that the problems facing Piraeus can be dealt with in the best possible way.”

The former regional governor of Attica, Rena Dourou, through her letter, referred to the man with whom she worked for five years “the man who was not just the experienced trade unionist or the technocrat of the local government who knew in detail all the issues of Piraeus. He was my support, the almost paternal figure who supported me in the very difficult times, with his presence and his morals. We shared many difficult times. Difficult times in the regional council with tensions that gave way out every time. It was and remains a huge heart that put into practice the concept of selfless friendship that continues to this day despite our parting ways. Today George is facing a new challenge, the Municipality of Piraeus, but he knows that nothing is impossible with patience, work and morals. He owns it all and in October I won’t be texting but I will be by his side to celebrate his victory.”