Athens Mayor Bakoyannis Sworn in with Pledge for Upgraded City

Athens  Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis

Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, elected in June with 65.2 percent of the vote, was sworn in on Sunday, pledging to create a city for all, “no exception, no exclusions”.

Bakoyannis, previously a regional governor and the son of former Athens mayor and ex-foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis, was sworn in on Sunday during an open ceremony at Acadimia Platonos, a downgraded Athens neigborhood named after Plato’s Academy, which the philosopher  founded in the area in 387 BC.

Bakoyannis selected the Acadimia Platonos area to demonstrate his intentions of improving the standard of living for all Athens residents.

“And we are gathered here not only for symbolic reasons, but mainly for reasons of essence,” he said, “because it is here, that Plato chose to set up his Academy… in the ideal state: a state of justice and prudence.”

The 46^th mayor of Athens, Bakoyannis vowed to begin “from the bottom up” addressing practical issues and real problems.

“For the next four years, I will not be a ruler but instead a servant of the Athenians… [with the ultimate goal] to make Athens a modern European metropolis. A city that is safe, clean and green. A bright and friendly city. A fair and democratic city. A city in which you will not need to make efforts to live but will want to live. A city that will fit us all and unite us all. Those who live. Those who work. Those who visit. But also, those who love this city,” Bakoyannis said during the ceremony, which was attended by all municipal employees and his closer aides.

Exarcheia, Athens. Photo source: Visit Greece / Y. Skoulas

Earlier this month, Bakoyannis announced an ambitious urban regeneration program for the inner-city neighborhood of Exarcheia. The Municipality of Athens also recently launched the Athens “Adopt-A-Tree” citizens’ initiative.