The results of municipal and regional elections in Greece at midnight on Sunday showed record rates of abstention nationwide and especially in key electoral constituencies, including the Attica region, and the municipalities of Athens and Thessaloniki.
In the crucial election for Attica regional authority chief, with 26.34 percent of the vote counted and an estimated voter turnout of 54.51 percent, PASOK-backed candidate Yiannis Sgouros was in the lead with 23.99 percent of valid votes, versus 20.65 percent for main opposition New Democracy-backed candidate Vassilios Kikilias. Rebel PASOK candidate Yiannis Dimaras,widely seen as opposing the EU-IMF memorandum, was third with 15.65.
In Athens which is the largest municipality in the country, ND-supported Athens mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis appeared to be heading toward re-election with 35.00 percent of valid votes at midnight with 29.86 percent of votes counted. He was tailed by George Kaminis, the candidate backed by PASOK, with 28.63 percent of the vote. The clear winner, however, was abstention since participation by Athens voters stood at record lows of just 42 percent.
In Thessaloniki, the second-largest Greek city after the capital, participation in the election stood at 53.72 percent. With 23.64 percent of the vote counted, ND-backed candidate Costas Gioulekas was ahead with 38.36 percent of the valid votes and Yiannis Boutaris, the candidate backed by ruling PASOK, was second with 32.99 percent of the vote.
In Piraeus, Yiannis Mihas backed by PASOK was in the lead with 30.48 percent and second place went to ND-backed Vassilis Mihaloliakos with 23.03 percent.
No clear winner has emerged in any of the 13 regions of the country during the first round of the elections and a run-off election between the top two candidates in the first round will be held on November 14.
(source: ana-mpa)
24:00GMT: Greek Municipal & Regional Election Results
21:30GMT: Greek Partial Results Show Ruling Socialists Ahead
Partial official results from Greece’s crucial local polls show the Prime Minister George Papandreou’s (photo) Socialists are leading in key regional races, making it less likely he will call an early general election in the debt-ridden country.
With 11 percent of vote counted, Papandreou’s Socialists were ahead in seven of 13 races for regional governor, including the critical greater Athens area, Greece’s largest administrative region.
Prime Minister George Papandreou arrived at the PASOK offices just before 8:00 p.m. and will later head to the Maximos Mansion government house. A meeting of top cabinet ministers and party officials will follow to discuss the local government election results.
Auction of 6 Month Treasury Bill on November 9th
Greece will auction a six-month Treasury Bill issue on Tuesday, November 9th. It seeks to raise 300 million euros from the market.
The T-bill issue will have a maturity date of May 13th, 2011, while the settlement date was set for November 12th.
The auction will be held with competitive bids by primary dealers in the Greek electronic secondary bond market. The Finance Ministry will also accept non-competitive bids.
The Finance Ministry will not pay any commission.
New Kallikratis Plan Implemented in First Round of Elections
The first round of local government elections using the new Kallikratis plan begins in Greece on Sunday, November 7th. Election hours will be between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
This election introduces a number of new elements following the sweeping changes to the boundaries of local authorities under the Kallikratis plan. This plan greatly reduced the number of municipalities but also made them much larger. It abolished the second-tier local authorities governing prefectures and introduced 13 elected regional authority governors.
The recent announcement by Prime Minister George Papandreou that a poor result for PASOK may lead him to consider the prospect of early general elections has also raised the stakes a great deal higher than usual for a local government election.
In areas where there is no clear winner during the first round of elections, there will be a second round on November 14th using the same procedure.
If the vote fails to take place in a municipality or in one or more polling stations for any reason, another election will be held on Wednesday, November 10th.
Those eligible to vote for municipal councils and mayors are Greek national resident in the municipality over 18 years old and registered in their municipality or community electoral roll. Additionally nationals of any European Union member-states that are over 18, permanent residents of Greece and registered in the special electoral rolls of the municipality where they reside (up until August 31, 2010).
Those eligible to vote for regional authority officials do not include EU member-state citizens, Greek expatriates without Greek nationality and legal residents from third countries.
Those deprived of their rights to vote cannot vote in these elections.
Those that have no obligation to vote in the elections are foreign nationals, those aged over 70 and those that are more than 200 kilometres from the polling station where they vote; this must be certified by the municipality in the location they are in.
Those wanting to vote must display either a police ID card or temporary replacement issued by a proper authority, a valid passport, a driving licence, or social insurance fund booklet. Voters not included in the electoral roll that have not been deprived of their voting rights can apply to the municipality or community where they are registered in order to request a certificate that they are registered in the municipal register in order to exercise their voting rights.
(source: ana-mpa)
Greek Alternate Defense Minister Beglitis Concludes Trip to Washington, D.C.
Greece’s Alternate Defense Minister Panos Beglitis on Friday ended a three-day visit to Washington, D.C. During his travels he presented the U.S. military leadership with a memorandum describing Turkey’s behaviour in the Aegean over recent years.
During the visit he met U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Alexander Vershbow and Chairman of the U.S. Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen.
Beglitis expressed Athens’ strong concern over the behaviour and practices adopted by Ankara in the Aegean. In particular he described the constant violations of Greek air space and other actions that clearly aim to dispute the legal status and Greece’s territorial rights in the region.
He repeated Greece’s desire to improve relations with Turkey. Beglitis pointed to Greece’s support of Turkey’s European entry on the condition that Turkey fulfilled the obligations arising from treaties governing the operation of the European Union.
Concerning Greece’s participation in peace-keeping missions, Beglitis emphasised that Greece had remained a steadfast, faithful and reliable ally through its participation in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, KFOR in Kosovo and the operations against piracy in Somalia, in spite of its current economic difficulties. He also pointed to the country’s contribution to regional security issues in the Balkans and Mediterranean.
During his visit a meeting was held between delegations of the two countries at the High Level Consultative Committee. The meeting held an in depth discussion on ways to further improve and enhance the strategic partnership of the two nations.
Beglitis also had the opportunity to discuss a series of issues focusing on the upcoming NATO summit in Lisbon, NATO relations with Russia and the EU and Greece’s contribution to peace-keeping missions for protecting world peace and security.
Beglitis briefed U.S. officials on recent changes to modernise the Greek armed forces. He informed them of a series of measures taken to create a “modern, flexible and efficient force” that was of higher quality in terms of equipment and operations.
(source: ana-mpa)
Canada Honors 50th Anniversary of the Independence of Cyprus
An event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the independence of Cyprus took place in Canada last week. The event was an initiative of the Canadian Event Committee, the Cypriot Community of Toronto, the Cyprus Federation of Canada and PSEKA Canada. A special contribution was granted from John Barrel from the Consulate General of Cyprus in Toronto.
Many political leaders were present and spoke at the event about Cyprus saying, “…Cyprus wants nothing more than any other civilized nation: harmony and a united and sovereign state which safeguards the rights and safety of all its citizens.”
Three More Greek- Americans Elected in Local Elections
Greek-Americans are participating very actively in the United States political arena. Republican Olympia Snowe is the only member of the Senate who is of Greek origin and Democrat Shelley Berkeley is the only Greek-born woman in the US House of Representatives. Now three young Greeks have been elected to important local level positions this term.
Aravella Simotas is a lawyer from Kelafonia, Greece. She has been elected as the State Representative for the Democratic Party of Astoria, New York. The Brooklyn and Staten Island areas have elected Nicole Malliotaki.
Since her teenage years, Simotas involved herself with of the Greek Diaspora within and beyond her local community. Provoked mainly by environmental organizations, she worked with politicians in her region promoting issues of ecology, education, health and safety. “The Greek Americans, in previous years, were not very active in the political sector and it was very difficult to be elected previously,” stated Simota to ANA-MPA. She notes that: “In recent years Greek-American participation in the American political life has increased dramatically and not only in terms of candidacy, but also in many regions, Greeks have considerable power.”
Republican Nicole Malliotaki, who had been working in the office of former New York Governor George Pataki, won the election Tuesday for the Democratic Party for Brooklyn and Queens in New York. “It was difficult, however I had the support of many expatriates of my constituents,” said Malliotaki to ANA-MPA. She also claimed: “It is gratifying that more and more Greek-Americans are involved in politics.”
Malliotaki’s father is from Crete and her mother was exiled from the dictatorship of Fidel Castro in Cuba. She studied economics and has worked locally in New York on many social issues.
Another Greek- American who participated in last Tuesday’s elections is lawyer Marianna Spyropoulos of Chicago. Spyropoulos was elected to the Democratic Party of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Region for the Restoration of Water in Greater Chicago, with a six-year term. This is the biggest water control region in the world and annually manages approximately two billion U.S. dollars. Marianna Spyropoulos received positive acknowledgment from the voters of Cook County, Chicago who brought her to victory.
Marianna Spyropoulos is the daughter of Theodore Spyropoulos, Coordinator of SAE USA and the cousin of Alexis Giannoulias. She studied political science and law and has served as a prosecutor. She has worked on a research program in London and worked on research and analysis of the economics and politics of Russia and Central and Eastern European nations.
Greek Researchers Conduct Rheumatoid Arthritis Study
A drug used to treat bone marrow cancer could also provide a promising treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
The study conducted by Greek researchers has suggested that the biologic drug bortezomib, i.e.Velcade which is a proteasome inhibitor used to treat multiple myeloma or bone marrow cancer, may be useful for RA as well.
The study proved that bortezomib displayed favorable effects in an animal model of inflammatory arthritis that mimics RA, in reducing disease severity and inflammation, and promoting bone healing.
RA is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and joint destruction.
“The definitive role of biologic agents in treating this difficult-to-cure population has yet to be defined in prospective trials comparing the available therapeutic options,” explained study leader Evangelia Yannaki from the G. Papanikolaou Hospital in Thessaloniki.
“Given the lack of options for poor responders and the increased risk of infections and malignancies with available biologic agents for RA, there is a great need for novel therapies that are safe and effective,” he added.
The research team explored bortezomib as an optimal treatment for RA because the drug targets multiple pathways.
In the analysis, researchers noted that joints in animals treated with the drug displayed limited damage and inflammation, and an obvious bone healing effect was observed.
Greek Foreign Ministry Condemns Stephana Burning in Albania
On Thursday a foreign ministry spokesman condemned an incident in neighbouring Albania this past week. The incident concerns the burning of wreaths, or stephanas laid at a military cemetery in Bobostitsa where Greek servicemen who fell on the Albanian front during WWII are buried.
“This is an unacceptable incident, one that expresses circles that are unable to comprehend the new framework of relations between Greece and Albania, as well as the symbolism of the struggle against the Axis forces,” spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said during a regular press briefing.
Asked about a bilateral agreement on the upkeep of military cemeteries, the spokesman said both Athens and Tirana have expressed their satisfaction with only the pact’s implementation now pending.
Incidents of racial hatred against native Greeks in Albania are on the rise. Three months ago, 37- year-old Aristotelis Goumas who is a member of the Greek minority in Albania, was murdered in Himara by three Albanians. He died as a result of refusing to stop speaking Greek in his own shop.
Dr. Black Appointed Honorary Doctor at Aristotle University
Dr. Peter McLaren Black is one of the most famous researchers in the field of new techologies in brain scans as well as in image-guided surgery. In addition to this, he is professor at Harvard University in the Medicine Department and President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS). Dr. Black has been appointed as an honorary Doctor at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki.
“I teach my students, following Aristotle’s rules. It is extremely essential to show them how to think, how to act, but especially how to assess their knowledge through their personal experience.”, declared Dr. Black during the ceremony. The doctor has won 16 scholarships and awards and is the author of numerous scientific books.