Addressing viewers on a local Evros channel, she humbly uttered, “I came to help.” Galato Alexandraki, the newly appointed MEP aligned with Hellenic Solution, made her maiden televised appearance mere hours ago. The septuagenarian breeder, renowned for managing a butcher shop in Alexandroupolis alongside her son, delivered succinct gratitude in her inaugural remarks. Expressing sheer disbelief in her electoral triumph, she candidly inquired, “How did this happen?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-l_4OwNOVY
Radiating joy, she expressed, “I’m delighted. I extend heartfelt thanks to all who cast their votes in my favor. That’s the crux of it; I have naught else to convey. The startling nature of my election baffles me. I wholeheartedly express immense gratitude. Fare thee well, everyone. That’s the gist, fare thee well,” she articulated. Accompanied by her vigilant son, Mrs. Alexandraki tactfully sidestepped queries regarding her potential Brussels voyage. Furthermore, she forewarned against disclosing further details in the imminent days. **Witness the Footage:** Inaugural declarations from the spirited MEP, Galato Alexandraki of Evros In earlier discussions on ANT1, the party’s leader, Kyriakos Velopoulos, disclosed that Mrs. Alexandraki’s inclusion on the European ballots resulted from recommendations by a federation of livestock breeders.
Conversely, Paris Papadakis, a party MP from Evros, expressed uncertainty about her identity just a day prior. Galato Alexandraki, now the 21st Greek MEP, secured her position behind Manolis Fragos on Kyriakos Velopoulos’s Hellenic Solution ticket. Until recent times, she remained a relatively obscure figure. Nonetheless, her ascension to candidacy for the European Parliament, culminating in a remarkable triumph, was not unanticipated. During the national elections of 2023, the venerable 76-year-old Livestock farmer from Koufovouno Didymoteicho contested in Eastern Attica.
Despite refraining from active campaigning within her constituency, she garnered 3rd place in the May polling with 2,251 votes. Subsequently, voters in Eastern Attica bestowed her with the 13th position on the Velopoulos party roster. Among the initial interrogations concerning Galato Alexandraki, Paris Papadakis, the Evros Member of Parliament for Hellenic Solution, was approached. He adamantly affirmed in a radio discourse that he neither encountered nor recognized Mrs. Galato, despite accompanying six Hellenic Solution hopefuls on pre-election endeavors. Notably, Galato, positioned first on the Euro list due to her surname initiation with an “A,” did not seek his assistance.
Local Insights Unveil Further Details
An enlightening inquiry by Protothema.gr with notable individuals in Evros unearthed essential details about the enigmatic MEP. Revelations depict Mrs. Alexandraki as a septuagenarian with a primary school education in Koufovouno. Following her husband’s demise, she relocated to Alexandroupolis accompanied by her son. Reports suggest Mrs. Galato’s introduction to politics and affiliation with Greek Solution germinated through a close relative entrenched in the party’s ranks in Thessaloniki. Interestingly, Koufovouno, her birthplace, is the third in a progression of Didymoteicho villages interlinked with MEP contenders.
Noteworthy candidates include Mrs. Krystallia Armenaki of PASOK from nearby Kyani, lauded with 5,659 native votes, and Afroditi Latinopoulos, whose roots trace back to Vryssika garnering 2,106 votes from Evros. Despite Mrs. Alexandraki’s roots in Evros, she secured a mere 1,112 out of 51,330 votes cast by her region for the European Parliament. Notably, she accumulated 1,509 votes in Athens, 2,279 in Eastern Attica, and 3,357 in Thessaloniki, clinching the fourth spot. Evros harbors additional intrigues concerning the practices of Mr. Velopoulos’s party, including the enigmatic concept of “ghost nominations.” Margaritis Kirkos, a former luminary within Greek Solution, elucidated on a strategic maneuver in May favoring the candidacy of Paris Papadakis in Evros, a move met with his apprehension as voiced in a resignation letter critiquing the party’s modus operandi.
