NEWS

Police investigate Piraeus mayor’s claims of threats on his life

Police were on Monday investigating allegations by Piraeus Mayor Vassilis Michaloliakos that he received threats to his life on Sunday, when he was left in second place during the first round of voting in local elections.

Michaloliakos, who earned 31.3 percent of the vote compared to 33.2 percent for independent candidate Yiannis Moralis, claimed that he and associates were threatened by “guys in black jackets and shaved heads wandering around in neighborhoods” and appealed to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to intervene and ensure he has protection this coming Sunday for the runoff.

Moralis, an Olympiakos soccer club official backed by the club’s chairman, Vangelis Marinakis, denied that he or his supporters were involved in any attacks or threats against Michaloliakos.

But complaints were lodged by other parties too. SYRIZA’s candidate for Piraeus mayor, Theodoros Dritsas, claimed that groups of men with shaved heads and black shirts had been a menacing presence at polling centers at the port on Sunday, photographing and threatening leftist candidates.

The academic and television personality Costas Zouraris meanwhile claimed to have received threats against his life after linking Marinakis to match-fixing during comments on television.

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