Important changes in the election system of municipal and regional authorities, as well as in matters of governance, supervision, financial management, statutory status of elected officials and responsibilities are included in the proposal of the Ministry of the Interior for the reform of Local Self-Government, presented by Minister Thodoris Livanios, speaking at annual regular conference of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), which takes place from today until Saturday in Rhodes.
The 20 proposed changes will be the subject of a consultation on the new unified Local Government Code and include, among other things, the abolition of the second round of municipal and regional elections, the introduction of electronic voting, the possibility of calling early elections and the appointment of candidate councilors without a preference cross , according to the standards of State ballots.
The dialogue on updating the institutional framework of self-government has begun, as the competent Committee that will process all the proposals of all bodies, met for the first time on Monday, November 4. The Committee was set up by the Ministry of the Interior with the participation of representatives of the self-government, judicial authorities, universities and executives of both the Local Self-Government Organizations and the competent ministry. Mr. Livanios said that the Commission “will have intensive work ahead of it” and that it will complete its work on March 31, 2025.
“Today we presented specific proposals for the reform of Local Government, which give the impression of the dynamics that the government seeks for the municipalities and regions of the country. What is certain is that the changes we are ready to introduce are not going to be a reform that will remain on paper, but a real tool for the self-governing authorities to stand more firmly on their feet, to cure dysfunctions and problems and to mature, for the benefit of all citizens”, said the Minister of the Interior.
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Nikos Pappas, president of the K.O. of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, during the KEDE conference, which is being held in Rhodes.
According to a SYRIZA announcement, the changes in question concern the selection of municipal and regional authorities in one round, but in two phases. With the citizens coming to the ballot box once, however, declaring their preference for up to two candidate combinations, while then (second phase), if there is no winner with 50% +1, the first two combinations will be counted b’ choices on the ballots of the factions that did not pass this phase.
Nikos Pappas spoke about “a completely new electoral system, which can potentially give municipal authorities, which in the first voting option have, for example, 20% and in the second phase win the majority”. To add immediately after: “Imagine the problem that will be created and how much the popular mandate will be questioned if in the first choice vote we had a combination with 40%”.
According to him, with the current electoral system, there is obviously a reversal and alliances ahead of the second round, but “these are happening in front of the people’s eyes. Programmatic agreements and convergences are made and the people judge on them. These are not done in advance and in a possibly shadowy way.”
The president of K.O. of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance concluded, regarding the specific issue: “In any case, the field of Local Self-Government is a field of wider consensus. And the proposed electoral system does not go in this direction.”
Pyra Androulakis against the manipulations of the Government
Severe criticism of the government for the financial, institutional and operational strangulation of Local Government was made by Nikos Androulakis, speaking at the annual conference of KEDE in Rhodes. The president of PASOK-Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis, in his greeting pledged that the central programmatic goal of the Movement is “that local self-government ceases to be the pariah of public administration and becomes again the central institution of democracy, social welfare and balanced regional development”.
Mr. Androulakis said that it is a sad fact that the ND government is depriving the municipalities of funds, while 45% of them are on the verge of bankruptcy. “After the shrinking of their Central Autonomous Resources during the years of the financial crisis, today the operating costs of the municipalities have increased and they are not even paid the unfair burial fee, which was imposed on them, despite the explicit commitment” pointed out Mr. Androulakis. He impressed how “we will give a development perspective again, because we firmly believe that local self-government is the foundation of democracy, development and social cohesion of our country.” “The “staff state” of the New Democracy, a failed centralized system of power managed transform the self-governing movement, from a movement of emancipation, participation and self-governance into a movement of mayors on the verge of desperation who beg for their money from each individual Minister” he underlined.
“The government’s message to the self-governing world with the latest bill on the abolition and mergers of the Waste Management Agencies in the Regions of Crete, North Aegean, Western Greece and Thessaly, but also with the upcoming one on the forced mergers and abolitions of Municipal Water Supply Companies and Sewerage is pure and cynical: the “staff” state of the Maximus Palace counts you only as the long arm of its centralized power” added the president of PASOK-KINAL
The most important changes proposed by the Government
A. Changes to the electoral process for self-governing authorities
.1. Election of municipal and regional authorities in a single round
The country’s municipal and regional authorities will be elected in a single round. The voter will have the option of choosing a second combination, on the same ballot. In the event that no combination receives 50% + 1 vote of the valid votes of the first choice, the first two combinations in votes advance to the second counting phase. The second votes (second choice) of the ballots of the combinations left out of the second phase are added to the votes of the first two combinations. The successful combination will be declared whoever has collected a) during the first phase, 50% + 1 vote of the valid ones of the first choice or b) during the second phase, the most votes between the first two combinations, which include the second votes of of ballots of the combinations excluded from the second phase.
The proposed change of the electoral system, on the one hand, solves the problem of reduced voter participation in the second round of self-governing elections and, on the other hand, eliminates the significant cost of conducting the second round.
2. Optional electronic voting in Municipal and Regional elections
Giving yet another tool to make it easier for voters to exercise their right to vote, following the successful introduction of postal voting in the 2024 European elections, the Home Office has announced the introduction of electronic voting for local government elections for any elector who wishes to do so, while maintaining the classic vote with physical presence.
3. Announcing early elections, within the first 3 years of the five-year term, for the remainder of the term
This possibility can be used if 4/5 of the total number of members of the municipal or regional council and the mayor or regional governor agree. This change puts an end to phenomena of administrative paralysis that are created in cases of independence of municipal councilors.
4. Designation of additional candidate advisers without preference cross
Each combination will be able to nominate additional candidates up to:
- 1 candidate in boards with up to 19 members
- 2 candidates in councils with 25 to 39 members
- 3 candidates in councils with 43 members.
These candidates are elected only if their combination is declared the winner of the election. The aim of the change is to attract competent scientists and candidates of recognized prestige, who can contribute to local communities.
5. Creation of a quota for the participation of candidates up to the age of 30 in the self-governing combinations
The aim is to strengthen the participation of young people in the administration of local affairs.
6. Abolition of the possibility of secondment of elected civil servants due to election
The election is an attitude of offering to the public and should not be instrumentalized as a vehicle for secondments, unduly weakening the staffing of public services.
7. Reduction of the number of candidate advisers to up to 50% more than the current 150%
By reducing that percentage, a combination of municipal elections in a 31-member council, instead of up to 78 candidates, which it could have in 2023, will have 47.
Election of municipal councilors uniformly throughout the municipality and not per municipal unit
Fifteen years after the implementation of Kallikratis and the mergers of the Kapodistrian municipalities, there is no longer any reason to maintain the distinct electoral district.
9. Single parabola of combination
The amount of the tax will be proportional to the population of the municipality or region.
10. Conduct of elections on the last Sunday of November
This change will reduce the time from when the elections are held until the new authorities take office, correspondingly reducing the potential power vacuum.
B. Changes in the system of governance, the statutory position of elected officials, the supervision, the responsibilities and the financial management of the OTAs
- Mandatory public consultation for all regulatory acts before they are introduced to the municipal / regional council.
- Exclusive electronic local referendums on matters of municipal competence.
- Establishment of the position of official secretary in municipalities with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
- Increase in the remuneration of mayors and vice-mayors, suspension of the mayor’s professional activity in municipalities of more than 20,000 inhabitants and mandatory leave for the entire term.
- Abolition of territorial competence of Legality Checkers. Each transaction entered for legality checking will be randomly allocated to a Legality Checker of another territorial jurisdiction. Coordination of the 7 Legality Checkers by the OTA General Legality Supervisor.
- Speeding up the issuance of legality review decisions within 10 days.
- Retention of the Municipal Fee to cover remunerative services and establishment of a Local Development Fee, incorporating into it the Municipal Tax and the Real Estate Fee. The TTA will be freely determined by the municipalities and will be used to cover all types of expenses and investment activities.
- Reinstatement of the preventive audit of the Court of Auditors for warrants over 15,000 euros.
- Establishment of a Municipal Revenue Management Center under the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece, in which all types of certified debts to municipalities will be posted. This Center will be the interface of the Self-Government with AADE, EFKA and all the necessary Registries of the Greek State, while it will provide the possibility of electronic payments of the debts, which will be directly attributed to the Municipalities, without abolishing the possibility of payments directly to the Municipalities.
- Redistribution of responsibilities between Municipalities, Regions, Decentralized Administrations and the Central State with 3 criteria:
- Local, regional or national nature of the jurisdiction
- Who can exercise it more effectively for the benefit of the citizens?
- Presumption of competence by policy bundle.
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