Government in bid to boost local influence
Proposed changes to a bill aimed at overhauling the governance of Greece’s local authorities, which are to be submitted to Parliament on Wednesday, foresee the segmentation of constituencies in the capital with the apparent goal of increasing the influence of leftist SYRIZA in those areas.
The proposed amendments to the bill, dubbed Kleisthenis 1, include the transfer of the municipalities of Nea Philadelphia-Halkidona and Galatsi, where SYRIZA came first in the 2015 elections, to the northern suburbs of Athens, where ND was first.
It also foresees the municipalities of Ilioupoli, Zografou, Vyronas, Dafni and Kaisariani, where SYRIZA came first in 2015, being transferred to coastal suburbs where ND had won.
