Greek Government Overhauls Mayor and Deputy Mayor Rules with New Local Administration Code

The Greek Ministry of Interior released Circular 10 to guide the rollout of the 2026 Local Government Code (Law 5314/2026). The code revises the legal status of elected municipal officials. It introduces automatic suspension of mayoral duties for public‑sector employees, while allowing private‑sector mayors to choose between a full‑time special leave with compensation or a limited 60‑day paid leave each year.

The code also reforms special leave entitlements for council presidents, municipal assistants and minority party faction leaders, setting a 30‑day leave for the latter. It clarifies that unpaid deputy mayors may not belong to categories subject to suspension. Additionally, the definition of deputy mayors is updated to give mayors more flexibility in assigning duties, to automatically remove deputies who leave the mayor’s party, and to increase the maximum number of deputies across all municipality size groups.

These changes aim to standardise municipal governance, expand leave provisions, and tighten the link between deputy officials and the ruling municipal party.