Shocking developments took place in the «camp» of Kythira Mayor Efstratios Charchalakis just as he was preparing to finalize his slate of candidates. Just a few days ago, the current mayor decided to oust Deputy Mayor Charalambos Sougiannis and remove him from the ticket for the upcomingmunicipal elections on October 8, 2023. The reason?;
For the past four years, the municipal government has been in a state of constant internal crisis that has shaken not only political figures but also the functioning of the Kythera municipal administration. Kythera.News had documented several events that marked Mr. Charhalakis’s second term as mayor, during which a clear rift emerged between the other deputy mayor, Mr. Kominos and Mr. Sougiannis. For almost the entire four-year term, the two deputy mayors had ceased to cooperate to the point where they were no longer able to communicate harmoniously in the course of their duties.
Mr. Kominos’s dissatisfaction had become more or less well-known among the people of Kythira because he felt marginalized by the mayor and the other deputy mayors, Messrs. Sougiannis, Zantiotis, and Katsanevakis. He was no longer designated as the first deputy mayor, as he had been during Harhalakis’s first term. To this day, if one were to ask the other deputy mayors about their relationship with him, it is unclear whether they would respond positively… Unless something has changed between them recently…
Mr. Kominos’s involvement has been instrumental over the past decade in Mr. Charhalakis’s administration. In 2019, following a serious health crisis, he was instrumental in the mayor’s reelection, coming in first on the ballot with 311 votes. However, Mr. Sougiannis’s appointment to positions of responsibility shifted the balance of power. From the very first months of the new term, a difference in philosophy became apparent regarding how the municipality’s administration should operate. There were critical moments when the rift between Kominos and the other deputy mayors—as well as the mayor himself—put their relationships to the test.
History will show—perhaps soon—who governed well and who governed poorly. Perhaps quite a few things will come to light in the coming days. However, it seems that things ended badly between Kominos and Souyiannis, as the latter was removed from the Charchalakis ticket at the former’s insistence. What raises questions, however, is why Mr. Kominos decided to remove Mr. Sougiannis while leaving the others on the ticket. Is he planning to bring them in later? And it’s quite strange how, after everything that happened, fellow candidate Iakovos Pastos suddenly came out with a statement—one that was likely not his own idea—calling for unity… Unity after the massacre?;
Kominos never abandoned the mayor, as he had sometimes hinted recently when he was angry. So he demanded Sougiannis’s head to ensure he wouldn’t abandon him now. And he succeeded. Except that he also achieved something else within his faction: making them all accomplices to the «murder.» How, I wonder, do they—and especially those closest to Sougiannis—feel about their former colleague? Do they share Mr. Kominos’s views? History will record this: Sougiannis was not beheaded by Kominos alone; they all beheaded him together. Of course, they may one day claim that they regretted it, that they made a mistake, that they had no other choice. Perhaps it was imposed on them by the ’One-Man Authority,” which saw that Sougiannis, despite his pivotal role in the City Council, was unpopular and lacked votes. Meanwhile, Komenos—who threatened to leave unless Sougiannis was beheaded—held 311 votes. Who could ignore Komenos’s power?;
Most people around us know who Kominos is, who Zorbas is—as the whole island calls him. Perhaps one day we’ll learn more about him, as well as about what he argued against others or what others argued against him. Tomorrow, upon reading these lines, he may respond that he did not oppose others or slander Zantiotis, as he was very recently accused of doing by an opposition city council member. Perhaps he’ll state that things are different now, and that there is love and unity, as Iakovos also said… Who knows? But how can this prevailing atmosphere within the party inspire hope for the future? And what if tomorrow Charchalakis didn’t appoint him deputy mayor but chose someone else instead? Would we have more purges again?;
No matter what one thinks, no matter what first comes to mind about the events of recent years—whatever the outcome—one thing is certain. Kominos, the «Zorbas» of Kythira, is stronger than ever. And he’s happy. The ballot was finalized without Sougiannis. Just as he had been insistently demanding for some time now. Starting today, Zorbas can dance carefree. We don’t know for how long, but the town square in Chora is now entirely «his.».
Kythera.News
