Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-10-20

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Bakoyianni poised to become Athens' first female mayor

[02] Interior minister calls election process a ''celebration of democracy''

[03] Weather Monday - Sunny

[01] Bakoyianni poised to become Athens' first female mayor

One of Greeces most visible politicians appeared on the verge of becoming Athens first female mayor on Sunday, with exit polls showing high-profile New Democracy (ND) deputy Dora Bakoyianni gaining as much as 60 percent of the vote.

Bakoyiannis election victory, two years before Athens and its surrounding municipalities host the 2004 Olympics, will hand her the honour of receiving the International Olympic Committee (IOC) flag that flies over the main sports venue during the Olympic Games. Bakoyianni is the daughter of former prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis and the widow of a well-known centre-right politician assassinated by a notorious urban terrorist group in the late 1980s.

Conversely, ruling PASOK defrayed forecast election losses in the municipalities of Athens, Piraeus and in Thessaloniki (last week) by celebrating Fofi Gennimatas expected victory for the Athens-Piraeus supra-prefecture over ND-backed Yiannis Tzannetakos -- a result that will also win back the Athens prefects and Piraeus prefects seats for the ruling party.

Minutes after 7 p.m. (local time) exit polls by three of Greeces top broadcasters state-run NET and Athens-based stations Mega and Antenna provided the initial forecasts for second round of municipal and prefectural elections.

Specifically, in terms of the Athens-Piraeus supra-prefecture race, NET predicted that PASOK-backed Gennimata will poll 53.5 to 55.5 percent of the vote to ND-backed Tzannetakos 44.5 to 46.5 percent.

Megas first exit poll showed 54 and 56 percent for Gennimata, a deputy with ruling PASOK, and 44 to 46 percent for Tzannetakos, the former director of the state-run radio network (ERA).

Antennas exit poll gave 52.2 to 55.8 percent for Gennimata and 44.2 to 47.8 percent for Tzannetakos.

In the Athens mayoral race, NET gave Dora Bakoyianni 57.5 to 60.5 percent and 39.5 to 42.5 percent for PASOK deputy and former EU Commissioner Christos Papoutsis.

Megas exit poll for Athens showed 59 to 62 percent for Bakoyianni and 38 to 41 percent for Papoutsis.

Antennas results were 55.2 to 58.5 percent for Bakoyianni and 41.2 to 44.8 percent for Papoutsis.

In Piraeus, ND-backed incumbent mayor Christos Agrapidis was given 54 to 56.5 percent in NETs exit poll, as opposed to 43.5 to 46 percent for PASOK-backed former minister Manolis Benteniotis.

Mega gave 54.5 to 56.5 percent to Agrapidis and 43.5 to 45.5 percent to Benteniotis.

Antenna gave 53.4 to 57 percent to Agrapidis and 43 to 46.6 percent to Benteniotis.

NET also gave exit poll results for the Patra municipal race, with incumbent ND-backed mayor Evangelos Floratos given 46.5 to 49.5 percent to PASOK-backed challenger Andreas Karavolas 50.5 to 53.5 percent.

As far as Achaia prefecture (western Greece) is concerned, NETs exit poll gave PASOK-backed D. Katsikopoulos 57 to 60 percent to ND-backed V. Bekiris 40 to 43 percent.

In another closely watched mayoral race, namely, the large west Attica municipality of Peristeri, NET gave DHKKI-backed A. Pahatouridis 48 to 51 percent and 49 to 52 percent for PASOK-backed K. Lalenis.

[02] Interior minister calls election process a ''celebration of democracy''

Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis on Sunday called the local government election process in Greece a ''celebration of democracy'', in statements to the press minutes before polling stations close.

''Today I can say with certainty that the elections were a real celebration of democracy. A perfect election process of a European level, without the slightest problem from one end of the country to the other, took place and we are proud for this,'' Skandalidis said.

''The citizens proved with their stance that they support the changes we are attempting and with their vote they of course strengthen the institution of the local government,'' he added.

''However, for us, these were triple elections. Along with the municipalities and the prefectures the first step in reforming the system was judged,'' Skandalidis stressed.

''I thank you all for a prefect cooperation and your creative contribution to our difficult effort,'' he concluded.

[03] Weather Monday - Sunny

Sunny weather is forecast for throughout the country on Monday. Northerly winds, moderate to strong. Temperatures between 7C to 20C in the north; 10C to 24C on the rest of the mainland and 18C to 22C on the islands.

Sunny in Athens, 15C to 24C. The same for Thessaloniki, 12C to 20C.

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