“The local elections are not the third round of the national elections. All the candidate mayors must be specific in terms of what we propose for Athens and the problems of the Athenians”, stressed today the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, in an interview with ANT1.

“It is important to win not only the vote, but also the trust of the Athenians and at the same time to take a few steps forward in the pre-election dialogue. I see different people coming with a fervor and a drive from the previous elections, as if this is the 3rd round of the national elections. If you enter our site “Athens High” you will see our report, which is about 590 pages. You’ll see what we did and you’ll be able to judge us for that too. We will move forward in the coming weeks, submitting comprehensive practical costed proposals to take the dialogue a little further. Every time we did this last time, in ’19, we were all winners. We must do the same now, otherwise no one will listen to us. No one is interested in hearing theories, no one is interested in hearing political fireworks.”

“I am not becoming Kasidiaris’ manager, nor am I afraid of him…”

The Mayor of Athens, when asked about the candidacy of the incarcerated Ilias Kasidiaris, made it clear that he does not intend to become a “manager” of the Kasidiaris campaign, discussing an issue that is resolved based on the institutional framework that governs the operation of the Kallikratiki municipalities, while emphasizing that the battle with the Nazis is not fought in the television studios, but in the neighborhoods, solving the problems that the Athenians face.

“I am not becoming Kasidiaris’ manager. Let’s be clear. Right now, we have a Law – a legal and institutional framework – which says that if he is elected, not the next day, but the next minute, he loses his seat because he is a convict. When Kasidiaris was sentenced on the same day I sent a letter to the decentralized administration and on the same day he lost his position in the Municipal Council”, said Mr. Bakoyannis. “We have all done this together. United, overcoming our differences, our contrasts which, otherwise, is a mountain. We achieved this in the Municipal Council of Athens, which is now closing its cycle. I hope we can continue it,” he added.

In essence, Mr. Bakoyiannis noted: “The battle with the neo-Nazis is not fought in the television studios. It is given to neighborhoods and is judged by what we have done to improve people’s everyday lives and lives. Therein lies the bet. The bet not only for us but for all of Athens”. He also expressed the certainty that the Athenians who will come to the polls do not need instructions.

“The Athenians who see us at this moment do not need a “father figure”. They don’t need someone to tell them what to do. No one needs to point a finger at us either. I have complete confidence in Athens. That is why I say that I will not become Kasidiaris’ manager, just as I am not afraid of any Kasidiaris”.

“The Beleri case is a matter of honor for all of us”

Regarding his presence in Heimarra, the eve of the 15th of August and the support for the pre-arrested Mayor Fredis Beleris, Mr. Bakoyiannis emphasized:

“The Beleri case is a case of honor for all of us. We have a mayor who was elected from the cell because he was arrested 3 or 4 days before election Sunday. This mayor is being held illegally, has been remanded in custody, the presumption of innocence has been circumvented and at the same time he is not allowed to take an oath. That is, what he is entitled to and the people who trusted him are entitled to, the Albanian government denies him, while it is a purely administrative measure. It was, therefore, self-evident to me that I will be there to support a fellow municipality, to convey the unanimous decision of the municipal council of the Municipality of Athens, but also to speak as the president of the B40 Association, the dozens of municipalities, mayors from 11 Balkan countries”.

Mr. Bakoyiannis underlined that it is important to insist on supporting Beleris, his family and the Community.

“This, I think, is the important thing that we have to keep, as – and because I am in constant communication with our friends in the minority and also with the family of Beleris himself – that we should not let it fall down, we should to CONTINUE. If I keep one thing from my visit to Himarra, it is that when I left what they said to me was “don’t forget us”, “come again”.

Infrastructure and social protection

Also, in the context of his interview, the Mayor of Athens referred to the infrastructure projects that are being implemented in Athens and at their core have to deal with the effects of the climate crisis -such as the University-, to the issue of security that needs strengthening through the implementation of the community policing model , and the neighborhood policeman but also in the large program of social protection and strengthening of vulnerable groups through the important structures created in the previous four years (Homeless Shelter Center, Drug Addicts Hospital, Polyclinic, Abused Women’s Hospital, etc.).