The new leftist mayor of the Greek capital – whose seismic victory over the incumbent stunned observers – tells BIRN that dialogue, transparency and the reduction of inequalities will be the hallmarks of his administration.
Haris Doukas defeated the favourite for the municipal elections in Athens, the incumbent mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, in the second round of the Greek local elections, tripling his votes. Doukas, a university professor with a low profile, is characterized as a quiet force.
Bakoyannis’ grandfather, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, was Prime Minister; his mother, Dora, an MP for the ruling New Democracy, was Foreign Minister. His uncle, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is the current Prime Minister and president of the ruling conservative New Democracy party.
Born in 1980 in Athens, Doukas is a Mechanical Engineer and Professor of Energy Policy and Management at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens.
The former president of the centre-left KINAL-PASOK party, Fofi Gennimata, assigned the party’s energy sector to Doukas in 2017 and in 2021 invited him to draft two proposals for a law on the issues of a post-lignite Greece and the climate law.
The text, with huge changes, was adopted by the New Democracy government. This was his first major contribution to society, and specifically, to the country’s efforts for sustainable development and green transition.
Under Nikos Androulakis, the current leader of PASOK, he was appointed the party’s head of energy. At the same time, with his scientific work, he regularly wrote articles in the domestic and international press on energy and green development issues.
In the parliamentary elections of May and June 2023, Androulakis did not include him on the list of PASOK candidates but instead chose him as candidate for the municipality of Athens. Doukas’ candidacy was announced in August. No one expected that within 72 days this new low-key face would defeat Bakoyannis.
Source : Balkan Insight
