In the wake of the rapid developments in Kythira’s local government, and while the mayor has not yet publicly commented on the serious allegations made by engineer George Syrmalis —allegations which, according to reports that have come to light, are said to raise issues of a criminal nature—the Announcement by the «Free Kythira» political group regarding the submission of the relevant file to the Greek judiciary and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Instead, the mayor chose tonight to break his silence solely to launch an attack on Zacharias Souris regarding the issue of the fixed advance payment…
Η Mr. Stratos Charhalakis's response came via social media and was furious, launching a fierce attack against the leader of the main opposition. In stark contrast to the «All Together» faction’s celebrations of an «institutional victory,» the mayor «dismisses» the opposition, personally attacking Mr. Souris and making it clear that the funds will not reach the association presidents.
«I will not dissolve the municipality because of their direct contracts»
Mr. Charchalakis directly accuses Zacharias Souris of, through his reports to the Decentralized Administration on this specific issue, caused a 20-day delay in the approval of the municipal budget. As he clarifies, the formal, mandatory inclusion of the amount in the budget does not imply either its allocation or its use by the communities.
His main argument is the tragic understaffing of the municipal services, which operate with just 6 administrative employees instead of the 22 required. The mayor takes aim, stating: «I will not dissolve the Municipality just because Mr. Souris and its chairmen want to engage in dozens of fragmented direct awards as they see fit.».
In fact, he levels very harsh criticism at opposition leaders, arguing that «Some of whom have been away in Athens for months, are being paid as usual, but Mr. Souris forgets that.». He adds that 8 of the 14 Community Presidents have already stated in writing their refusal to manage the advance payment due to the overwhelming bureaucracy, while also noting that since 2014, when the municipal government at the time had distributed a fixed advance payment prior to the elections, «A community's 1,000-riko is still missing!».
«He lives in a mythical world—soon the people will learn of his achievements»
Taking the tension to a purely personal level, the mayor challenges Mr. Souris to file as many lawsuits and complaints as he wishes, predicting that they will all end up «on the shelf.» He characterizes his opponent’s reality as a «mythical world,» where «He says it all by himself, he enjoys it all by himself, he hears it all by himself», even joking that in the future he’ll have to look up words in the dictionary or consult artificial intelligence (AI) to describe his… «achievements.».
At the same time, Mr. Charhalakis has hinted at political revelations, emphasizing that the people of Kythira will soon be informed about the opposition leader’s 2.5-year public presence.
The mayor concludes his remarks with a definitive and irrevocable statement, written in all capital letters: «TO BE CLEAR, THEN: A RECOMMENDATION FOR A FIXED ADVANCE PAYMENT WILL NOT BE MADE UNLESS THE MUNICIPALITY IS ADEQUATELY STAFFED WITH PERMANENTIN THE ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS! PERIOD!»
