The municipality of Kaisariani, in the eastern neighbourhoods of Athens, (3 kilometres east of the centre of Athens) passed into “red hands” on the 30^th of November, after the rerun of the 2^nd round of the municipal elections. 

It should be noted that in the elections that took place in May, the list of “People’s Rally”, which is supported by the KKE, received 22.36% (2,766 votes) and was unjustly excluded from the 2^nd round by 1 vote.  The candidate of the new social-democratic party SYRIZA entered the 2^nd round with 26.26% (3,249 votes) and the candidate from the older social-democratic party PASOK with 22.36% (2,767 votes). At that time the representative of SYRIZA emerged victorious in the 2^nd round (with 61.5%). Nevertheless, as was demonstrated after the legal appeal of “People’s Rally”, during the 1^st round of the elections several votes for “People’s Rally” had been unjustly been declared null and void. Consequently on the 30/11/2014 there was a rerun of the 2^nd round of the municipal elections in Kaisariani, between the candidate supported by SYRIZA and the candidate supported by the KKE.

The representative of “People’s Rally”, the communist Ilias Stamelos, received 51.52% (3,917 votes) against 48.48% (3,686) received by his opponent from SYRIZA. 

So, Kaisariani is an additional municipality that joins the four municipalities (Patras, Petroupoli, Haidari, Ikaria) where “People’s Rally” has been elected to lead the local authority. 

It should be noted that Kaisariani, which was initially settled by refugees who came to Greece after the Greco-Turkish war in 1922 (mainly from Izmir and the neighbouring villages) has ties of blood and struggle with the KKE. During the fascist occupation the resistance movement had a strong presence in this neighbourhood, while one of the most heroic pages of contemporary Greek history was written there, when the Nazis executed 200 Greek communists at Kaisariani’s shooting range on May 1^st 1944.

In its statement on the results of the municipal elections in Kaisariani, the Press Office of the CC of the KKE mentioned: 

“We salute the people of Kaisariani that chose “People’s Rally” as the new local government authority. We call on them from tomorrow to continue to support, with its militant intervention and participation, the efforts of the new local government authority to relieve the popular families in the city and to be a substantial pillar of support concerning their problems, concerns and struggles. 

Kaisairiani joins Patras, Petroupoli, Haidari and Ikaria where local authorities of “People’s Rally” were elected in May and from the first moment struggle against the political line of the government and the suffocating reactionary framework of local government so that there can be substantial relief measures for the popular families, workers, the unemployed, in order to impede the plans of the government that target the municipal workers and in order to practically support the daily struggles of the people. 

The result in Kaisariani is a positive message of struggle and resistance against the rationale of management and submission to the anti-people political line, which is followed by the municipal and regional authorities that belong to the parties of the coalition government and SYRIZA. 

The people of Kaisariani, with their experience and militant traditions, can contribute to the overall struggle of the people against the policies and the extortions of the government, as well as against those who lead the people to new illusions and impasses and serve the same path, that of the EU and capital, that of accepting and recognizing the debt. They must contribute to reinforcing the labour-people’s movement and the People’s Alliance, strengthening of the KKE, for a real pro-people solution.”

(see videos and photos of the celebrations of the communists of Kaisariani on the evening of Sunday,3 0/11)