Six communists were elected mayors in Greece's local elections — Significant reinforcement of the KKE

On 15/10/23 the 2nd round of local elections took place in Greece. Based on the result of both rounds, the lists supported by the KKE were voted for by thousands of popular forces, recording over 10% nationwide (from 6.86% in the 2019 regional elections).

A communist mayor was elected from the 1st round on the island of Ikaria, while the communist mayor in the country’s 3rd largest city, Patras, won over 41% in the first and 56% in the second round, and was therefore reelected. 

Greece: Five communist mayors go to second round of local elections on June 2

From left: Peletidis (Patras), Stamelos (Kesariani), Selekos (Haidari), 
Simos (Petroupoli), Lardas (Ikaria).

The five communist (backed by the KKE) mayors are going to the second round of municipal elections in Greece, after the results of May 26th. 

The five mayors, heads of the "People's Rally" (Laiki Sispirosi) lists, will have the opportunity to re-claim their mayorship in the local elections run-off next Sunday 2 July. More specifically:

In Patras, mayor Kostas Peletidis received 40.59% of the votes (approximately 39,500 votes). 

In Kesariani, the heroic district of Athens, mayor Ilias Stamelos received 29.87% (app. 3,525 votes).

Greece's communist mayors will run for re-election in May 2019

From left: Ilias Stamelos, Michael Selekos, Vangelis Simos.

In mass political events that took place on Monday in three different municipalities of the Athens region, the Communist Party-backed mayors announced that they will run for office in the local elections which will be held in May 2019. 

More specifically, the local Party organisations of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in Kesariani, Haidari and Petroupolis organized political events under the title "The activity of the KKE in the municipality's administration to support the people in their struggle for the rights and contemporary needs". The KKE-backed mayors, heads of "People's Rally" electoral lists, gave detailed accounts of their policies during the last four years thus highlighting numerous examples of their solid support towards the working class.

Palestinian flag raised at Kesariani City Hall in Greece as a gesture of solidarity

In a symbolic gesture of solidarity to the struggle of the Palestinian people, the Municipality of Kesariani in Athens raised the Palestinian flag alongside the Greek one at the City Hall's facade. 

In a statement, the Municipality points out that "on the occasion of the 1948 disaster, the "Nakba", we express through this way our solidarity to the Palestinian people who, for decades, asserts their own free state, demanding the ending of the israeli occupation and the foundation of a Palestinian state."

Greece: Communist mayor slams SYRIZA government, boycotts Tsipras' fiesta

KKE-backed mayor of Kesariani,
Ilias Stamelos.

ATHENS- In a symbolic gesture which carries a great message, the communist (KKE-backed) mayor of Kesariani, Ilias Stamelos, officially denied to participate in a governmental fiesta for the 75th anniversary of the country's most significant WW2 resistance movement, EAM (National Liberation Front). The government, along with the state television, ERT, are organising an event at the Kesariani Shooting Range (Skopeftirio)* on Sunday 2 October. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is scheduled to attend the event. 

In a letter addressed to the SYRIZA-ANEL government, mayor Stamelos points out the the city council's decision to deny any participation in October 2nd governmental event. Ilias Stamelos mentions that the heroic legacy of Kesariani's Shooting Range is in contrast with the governmental policy which attacks the rights of the working people. In his letter, among other things, the communist mayor writes:

"The policy exercised by the government is in total dissociation with the struggles and the claims of Kesariani's people and is directed against the Greek people in general. The SYRIZA-ANEL government has unleashed an attack against the rights and achievements of the people. It votes and applies memorandums of austerity, thus implementing a policy which crashes the people with taxes and reductions in wages and pensions, while on the same time it offers exemptions to the big capital". [...]