Greek local election law labeled a “lottery” by PASOK lawmaker

PASOK lawmaker Th. Papaliagas warned that the new Code of Local Government, approved today with votes only from the governing New Democracy party, removes the second‑round runoff and allows mayors or regional governors to be elected with just 42 % + 1 of the vote. He said the system turns elections into a “lottery” that could appoint officials by chance and would undermine the approval process needed for local projects. Papaliagas pledged that a future PASOK government would repeal these provisions and restore a more democratic local‑election framework.

The criticism centers on the elimination of the runoff, the lowered majority threshold, and the potential loss of transparency and citizen participation in local governance.