Thessaloniki’s Mayor Yiannis Boutaris announced on Wednesday that he will not run for another term.
Boutaris advised all deputy mayors and associates of his decision to not run for a third term.
"My decision is personal, not political," Boutaris told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, "After 16 years in local government, I believe I have completed my cycle. This doesn't mean I will stop offering my services to the city through other positions."
Asked to comment on the city's future, Boutaris said, "we opened Thessaloniki to the world. We planted the seed of revival and extroversion. I think the city will create the right circumstances to prevent its returning to a gray and introverted state."
Boutaris' term will end in September 2019, to be replaced then by the new mayor chosen during the local government elections to be held in May 2019.
The 60th mayor of Thessaloniki, Boutaris was first elected mayor in November 2010 and re-elected in May 2014.
