The day after the elections in the Union of Municipalities, the mayor of Famagusta Alexis Galanos and the mayor of Nicosia Konstantinos Giorkatzis leave intense dissatisfaction but also disappointment, but for different reasons. The mayor of Famagusta, a former leader of the Democratic Party, launches an attack against DIKO, accusing his leadership of empathy for him. Which, as he said, he can not justify. "I did not understand why the entire leadership of DIKO got involved in this issue, as if it were a personal issue against me," said Alexis Galanos. "I see an empathy on the part of the DIKO leadership towards me," he noted.
The mayor of Nicosia has been keeping quiet since the day before yesterday, without making any official statements. Information, however, states that he is intensely dissatisfied with Pindarou's decision to favor the support of Alexis Galanou and not himself. For this reason, according to the information, he did not even claim a position in the Executive Committee of the Union of Municipalities, in which he held the position of vice president. At the same time, he refused to accept a proposal to take over the second half of the President's term, as he believes that until then the big issue of the reform will be closed.
Alexis Galanos stated that he had proposed to Konstantinos Giorkatzis to serve half a term in the presidency of the Union of Municipalities. "I had even said to stay for two years and the other three to be undertaken by Mr. Giorkatzis. "The reason was because I want to promote the issue of Famagusta during this period, because I see that the Cyprus issue is not moving forward and I want to keep high on the agenda the return of our occupied city with various steps to international institutions," he said. Noting that "the doors open more easily when you are president of the Union of Municipalities, than only the mayor of Famagusta." "I also served as Speaker of the House of Representatives. So the presidency of the Union of Municipalities was not a personal ambition. "It was purely because of Famagusta," said Alexis Galanos.
Mr. Galanos also referred to the relationship with the mayor of Nicosia, Konstantinos Giorkatzis. "My relationship with Konstantinos is very good and we had said from the beginning that they would not run against each other as candidates for the presidency of the Union of Municipalities."
He also expressed strong complaints about the fact that the candidacy of Vyra was proposed by the deputy mayor of Famagusta, Chrysanthos Zannetos, while his own candidacy had already been submitted. "The bitter glass was that Andreas Vyras was proposed by the deputy mayor of Famagusta. "It is not right when you have the candidate of the mayor of an occupied municipality, to nominate another candidate from another municipality by a member of the municipal council", he said.
Alexis Galanos did not fail to mention the result of the day before yesterday's vote in the Union of Municipalities, describing it as a "success under the data" and typically saying that DIKO votes in the Union of Municipalities were divided in two, with almost half supporting his own candidacy.
Support from Pyrilli
Meanwhile, the move of the mayor of Paralimni to propose the candidacy of Galanos for the Union of Municipalities, wanting to respond to the bad language that wanted him to be the leader of DISY against the support of the candidacy of the mayor of Famagusta for the presidency of the Union, had its own symbolism. Municipalities. "We may have our disagreements, but for us Famagusta is paramount," said Theodoros Pyrillis.
The mayor of Paralimni was elected together with the mayor of Ayia Napa as members of the Executive Committee of the Union of Municipalities. They had come down with a joint combination with the mayor of Aradippou, who in the end was not elected. However, there are thoughts of the resignation of one in favor of the mayor Aradippou, in order to have a representative from Larnaca in the Executive Committee.
It should be noted that five representatives of DISY, three of AKEL and two of DIKO were elected to the Executive. He was not elected representative of EDEK, despite the fact that he had come down on a joint ballot with the other two opposition parties as a tripartite cooperation. According to information, EDEK expressed the position that there should be a representative in the Executive Committee. The issue will concern the Political Office of AKEL whether one of its representatives in the Executive of the Union of Municipalities will resign, for the sake of the candidate of EDEK.
Open fronts of Local Government
The next day he finds the new leadership of the Union of Municipalities, faced with two large open fronts, which he is called upon to manage on behalf of all the municipalities. The first concerns the reform chapter which is still under discussion in Parliament. The Union of Municipalities is expected to ask to have a say in the union of municipalities and the aggregation of their services.
The second big chapter concerns the amount of sponsorship to the municipalities. An issue that should be dealt with immediately by the new leadership of the Union, urging the Government to return sponsorship to pre-memorandum levels.
Source: Liberal