Thessaloniki to hold Greece's first referendum on water company privatisation

Thessaloniki citizens on Sunday will be called to vote three times, as apart from the municipal and regional elections they are asked to participate in a referendum over the privatization of the city’s water and sewage company.

“It is the first time that such a referendum is organized on a regional level,” the head of the Regional Association of Central

Macedonia Municipalities Simos Daniilidis told ANA-MPA.

The referendum ballots, which will be open from 07.00 until 19.00, will be placed at the schools that will operate as electoral centres in 11 municipalities of the wider Thessaloniki area where the Thessaloniki Water Supply and Sewage (EYATH) operates. The process will be based on the voters’ list used for the local government elections while it will be monitored by municipality representatives, EYATH employees and the “136 movement” which is opposed to the privatization of the company. The referendum is held with the cooperation of the city’s Bar Association. European observers will monitor the process, while a large number of volunteers are participating.

“The first messages that the Association is getting from the citizens indicate that the people are reacting positively to the referendum,” Daniilidis said.

source: ΑΜΝΑ