Rena Dourou, Coalition of the Left SYRIZA party governor-elect of the Attica region, refused to be sworn into parliament under religious oath. Instead, amid cheers at the packed Ano Liosia Stadium, she made a civic pledge in the presence of Ilion Metropolitan Bishop Athinagoras.
“In the belief that the civic oath responds to the sovereignty and secures the independence of political life and the public sphere, I state on my honour and conscience to be faithful to the constitution, to be faithful to the country, to fulfil my duties with honesty and fastidiousness, with respect to the principle that all power stems from the people and are exercised by the nation,” said the rising star of the main opposition party with fervor to the approval of those present.
The ceremony took place at 7 p.m. Wednesday within a jam-packed stadium. Outside, there was a gathering of the Movement Against Racism and Facism (KEERFA) members protesting against the swearing-in of far-right ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn (GD) deputy Ilias Panagiotaros into the Regional Council. The politician had been arrested along with four other GD MPs as part of a police investigation into anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas. Just 100 meters away, gathered members of the GD party to support Panagiotaros.
Dourou arrived through the policed corridor between the two opposing teams and entered with great difficulty as people rushed to greet her or take photographs.
SYRIZA deputy Manolis Glezos – known as a hero for his participation in the World War II resistance – was amongst the first to warmly greet her. Crowds of deputies from her faction were present to lend their support to Dourou. SYRIZA party leader Alexis Tsipras arrived a few minutes later at 7.05 p.m. and sat next to Glezos during the ceremony.
During her speech, Dourou said that “democratically and collectively”, not just a “new chapter”, but a “new book” is about to get written for regional areas with a focus on citizens and their environment. “Citizens will henceforth have the first word in Regional Attica so that Attica can be a region worthy of its long history, culture and tradition of the area, a region of prosperity and development.” As Athens Prefect Dourou, who has so far being untested by power, will oversee more than 4 million people and a substantial budget. Not bad, for a policeman’s daughter, whose rise was not pre-ordained.
Her decision to not take a religious oath was highly publicised, however she isn’t the first nor the only governor to have been sworn in under civic oath.SYRIZA member and new governor of the Ionian islands, Theodoros Galatsiatos, set the precedent for civic oath-taking instead of religious swearing in upon taking office at the beginning of August. In the Attica region, all governors from SYRIZA as well as regional counselors belonging to the Greek communist party (KKE) as well as Thanasis Tzimeros and Kostis Psaradellis of the liberal coalition Dimiourgia Xana and Despina Koutsoumba from the Leftist ANTARSYA party are expected to take a civic oath also.
She took her civic oath wearing a pair of red pumps
