Vote-rigging clash at KEDE conference in Kalamata as Kafantaris orders Doukas out

A vote turns into a shouting match

The annual conference of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) closed on Saturday, 7 November 2026 in Kalamata amid a dispute over how the vote on the factions' resolutions was held. Athens mayor Haris Doukas questioned the procedure, alleged vote rigging and demanded a roll-call vote, while delegates around him told him to count the votes himself. KEDE president Lazaros Kyrizoglou, mayor of Ampelokipoi-Menemeni, insisted on a show of hands, citing the union's statute, despite objections from delegates who wanted a named vote. Reports say the count went row by row through the seats. The tension rose when general secretary Dimitris Kafantaris, a former mayor of Pylos-Nestor, took the microphone and addressed Doukas directly.

“Get out of here, get out of here. Aren't you even a little ashamed?”

He then called the allegation of vote rigging in local government unacceptable, and the hall erupted in shouts and counter-accusations.

The count and the result

During the exchange over the count, Doukas reportedly shouted that one side had 14 votes and the other 15, according to Το Βήμα, and Kafantaris answered that it did not matter, one goes up and one goes down. Once the count was completed, Kyrizoglou's faction proposal won 213 votes out of 338 attending delegates. Doukas's faction collected 111 votes, while the Laiki Syspeirosi proposal drew 14.

Kyrizoglou faction213

Doukas faction (Local Government Now)111

Laiki Syspeirosi14

Kyrizoglou faction

213 votes

Doukas faction (Local Government Now)

111 votes

Laiki Syspeirosi

14 votes

Data from the article text

In a separate vote, the Laiki Syspeirosi proposal on school housing was approved unanimously by the full assembly, despite the tension that marked the rest of the session. The Board of Directors of KEDE is scheduled to meet on 12 November.

What the resolutions demanded

Doukas's Local Government Now faction accused the government of systematic underfunding of municipalities, transferring duties without the money or staff to carry them out, and limiting their administrative and financial autonomy. Its resolution said the prime minister's appearance at the Kalamata conference confirmed fears that the government wants local government weak and manipulated, and it argued that government policy departs from the European Charter of Local Self-Government. According to the text, the prime minister adopted none of the key demands and postponed them until international markets settle. The faction wants an extra €2.5 billion paid within 2027, a figure it takes from a study by the Hellenic Society for Local Development and Self-Government (EETAA). It also asks for a special electricity tariff for municipalities at €0.06 per kilowatt hour, the return of all owed and withheld funds, and full coverage of the running and payroll costs of nurseries.

Speaking against the majority text, which he said lacked clear criticism of the government, Doukas asked the hall a question.

“We did not get what we want. Why don't we write that?”

Kyrizoglou argued that local officials agree on 90% of the proposals and urged delegates to adopt a joint resolution. Kostas Peletidis's Laiki Syspeirosi faction tabled its own resolution, calling for concrete solutions rather than promises without a timetable.

What comes next

The majority resolution authorized the KEDE Executive Committee to meet the government, party leaders and the Speaker of Parliament to present the demands and press for a funding increase. Mayors and elected officials were also authorized to take steps including protests and a symbolic closure of town halls. The KEDE Board of Directors is due to meet on 12 November, and the two sides are expected to clash again at that session.