Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has announced his decision to complete his term at the municipality and not run in the 2027 parliamentary elections, stating that he wants to honor the trust placed in him by the citizens of Athens.

“I am the Mayor, I’ve said it before, and it is my deep concern to fight for Athens. The parliamentary elections are in 2027, and the municipal ones are in November 2028. I believe it is my duty — in order to honor the vote of the Athenians — to prove every day through my work the different model of governance that the country could also adopt, using Athens as a positive example,” Mr. Doukas said in an interview with Greek TV channel SKAI.

Mr. Doukas also referred to his relationship with Nikos Androulakis, leader of PASOK. “We have a common goal, and that goal is to strengthen PASOK. We’re combining our efforts. We want political change, so we don’t have to hear Ms. Kövesi say all the things she’s saying. That’s what we’re fighting for,” he said.

At the same time, he declined to comment on recent statements by Pavlos Geroulanos and Anna Diamantopoulou, who have been speculated as potential future party leadership contenders. “I don’t think it’s right to be setting deadlines at this moment. There is no President with deadlines,” he said.

The Mayor of Athens added that PASOK must move forward toward its upcoming congress with unity and without internal strife, so that “we can discuss, analyze, draft proposals that society can embrace — so the people can be co-creators in this process — in order to strengthen our collective effort.”