Actress Mercouri Loses Mayor Race in Athens

ATHENS —  Melina Mercouri, actress-turned-fiery-Socialist, lost the election for mayor of Athens on Sunday to an outspoken city planner who captured the top post for Greece’s ruling Conservatives.

With most of the votes counted in nationwide municipal voting, Mercouri acknowledged defeat to Antonis Tritsis, a former Socialist Cabinet colleague and onetime decathlon champion.

“I wish Mr. Tritsis every success in materializing the ambitious plan he has promised the Athenian people,” Mercouri told reporters.

With 87.4% of votes counted, Tritsis had polled 50.2% and Mercouri 45.9%, with the remainder going to independents.

Tritsis, a former education and environment minister who was expelled by the Socialists after failing to support them in a parliamentary vote, was backed by the ruling New Democracy Party.

“I want to prove worthy of the trust of the Athenian people and capable of dealing with the demands requested of me in order to save Athens,” Tritsis said.

In his campaign, he promised to introduce a public transport system that would ease traffic congestion and reduce pollution--two of the biggest problems in Athens.

Mercouri, a former culture minister, said she would restore pride in the capital’s historical heritage.

Her defeat was another blow to the Socialists, ousted from the national government last year.

They picked up a consolation prize with victory in the port city of Piraeus, where their candidate easily toppled the Conservative incumbent.

Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis rushed to claim public support for his tough economic austerity program. “The results show popular acceptance of the government’s policy toward modernization and the recovery of our country,” he told reporters.

A year of political instability ended with the Conservatives taking over the government in April, but economic problems worsened.

The government launched a three-year austerity plan by dismissing many state employees, raising the qualifying ages for pensions and abolishing index-linked pay rises.

Labor unions responded with crippling strikes but did not deter the government, which has said it will continue the policies despite the political cost.