ND expects to dominate regional polls
Most competitive contests involve two conservatives, the official candidate and a dissident
With about 24 hours left before polling stations open for the municipal and regional elections, ruling New Democracy officials are confident their domination of local government achieved in 2019 will be confirmed, even as they face challenges from conservative dissidents.
The main opposition SYRIZA and socialist PASOK are fighting each other for supremacy among center-left voters and have managed to endorse a common candidate only in three of Greece’s 13 regions (Thessaly, Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia).
Thessaly provides the most fertile ground for an upset, with many people still angry both at the central and the regional government over their response to September’s disastrous floods. Kostas Agorastos, the regional governor, seemed to be cruising to a fourth consecutive mandate before disaster struck; but he is still considered the favorite and a new electoral law awarding outright election to first-place winners gaining 43% of the vote works in his favor. In 2019, he had won nearly 56%, avoiding a runoff.
In the Northern Aegean and Western Macedonia, the main fight will be between the endorsed and the dissident conservative and, barring a big surprise, the common SYRIZA-PASOK slates are destined for third place.
Two conservative candidates will also battle it out in three other regions; in the Ionian islands, dissident Giannis Trepeklis has a good chance of toppling incumbent Rodi Kratsa, while the officially endorsed candidates appear to be ahead in the Peloponnese and Eastern Macedonia-Thrace.
Socialist Stavros Arnaoutakis, now also supported by New Democracy, is expected to coast to a fourth mandate in Crete. After supporting him in 2019, SYRIZA is fielding its own candidate.
In the most populous region, Attica, former minister Nikos Hardalias is the favorite and might win outright on Sunday. SYRIZA will be hoping to retain second place over PASOK.
In municipal elections, interest is focused on the three main cities, with conservatives looking like the favorites.
In Athens, incumbent Kostas Bakoyannis would like to avoid a runoff; he got 42.9% of the vote in 2019. PASOK is placing great hopes on its candidate, Haris Doukas, overtaking SYRIZA’s Kostas Zachariadis.
In Thessaloniki and Piraeus, incumbents endorsed by ND for the first time are favored to win.
