New Athens mayor sworn into office, pledges "return to neighborhoods"

Incoming Athens mayor Haris Doukas signaled a grass-roots approach to his role by pledging a “return to the neighborhoods” of the Greek capital at the swearing-in of the new municipal council, held in a former public market in the downtown district of Kypseli on Thursday.

“We believe in social participation, in citizen intervention as a necessary condition for the changes the city needs. So in this environment, today, I want to tell you that nothing is impossible,” he noted, promising a “green, clean, safe and creative Athens for everyone.” 

He stressed that his first priority is to ensure that all his actions contribute to a cleaner city environmentally. “This means generous energy interventions, it means a significant increase in greenery, it means restrictions on car use by offering alternative means of transport,” he noted.

Outgoing Athens mayor Kostas Bakoyannis also attended the ceremony to congratulate his successor.