Major upset at South Australian Greek Community Elections: Independent Community Progressive Party Takes sweeps in

Peter Gonis’s Leading Our Community failed to unafraid the numbers, leaving the roadworthy unfastened for Panagiotis Ppyros’s Independent Community Progressive Party to caput the Community.

Panagiotis Ppyros told Neos Kosmos that the recently elected committee will “work hard to bring unity successful the Community ranks”.

The Independent Community Progressive Party was the large winner successful the predetermination held connected Saturday, January 11, for the enactment of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA).

Gonis came 10th successful astir votes, while Ppyros came successful arsenic 14th his summons did amended than Leading Our Community. According to the results provided to Neos Kosmos by assemblage sources connected Sunday, 11 committee members retired of a total of 15 are from the Independent Community Progressive Party, the absorption till now.

Neos Kosmos was besides told by a member, that, “Con Bakolias ran arsenic an autarkic aft Peter Gonis failed to adhd him to his ticket.”

“Bakoliasdid a 50/50 bipartisan ticket.”

Ppyros’s team’s disagreement with the existing GOCSA Board was the determination to reconcile with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and resoluteness the six-decade Schism.

Panagiotis Gardiacos, the existent president of GOCSA, failed to unafraid the 75 per cent needed to reconcile with the Church astatine a special wide gathering past year, adjacent though his question garnered implicit 60 per cent.

On the eve of the elections, the existent GOCSA president, Panagiotis Gardiacos, announced that helium would not beryllium running.

Peter Gonis was appointed arsenic the caput of his team, who besides was elected to the caller Board of Directors connected Saturday.

The authoritative Blessing of the Waters of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia was taking spot connected Sunday, but we were unable to get statements of enactment from the outgoing Board.

Pyros sent a statement to Neos Kosmos and said it was, “a very hard predetermination successful which 600 members voted – the largest fig to vote successful our rank elections successful many, galore years”.

“Our summons managed to win 11 of the 15 seats connected the committee of directors.

“We judge was a very bully effect considering the highly hard circumstances we had to face.

“We sincerely thank each those who honoured us with their vote and chose our enactment to pb the historical Adelaide Community connected its way to the future.

“We besides thank each members for their information successful the elections and each those who contributed to the smooth moving of the polls.

“Now, it will take hard work from each of us to bring astir unity successful the community, for the betterment of the assemblage system arsenic well arsenic safeguarding the antiauthoritarian functioning and assets of our organisation,” said a victorious Panagiotis Ppyros.

It seems that the historical accidental to reconsolidate with the Church will beryllium the tin that gets kicked down the roadworthy again.