The new administration of Attica, Greece, aims to establish a new plan to resolve the economic and political crisis faced by the region, Attica governor Rena Dourou said at a lecture on Tuesday.
Attica is the largest region in Greece and includes the capital, Athens. The population of Attica is more than five million, and approximately 35 percent of Greece’s gross domestic product is generated in the region alone, according to Dourou.
Dourou is a member of Greece's leftist party, Syriza, and is the first leftist woman to wield that level of administrative power in Greece.
Dourou explained that the plan encompasses movements like “electricity for all" and the restoration of the credibility of politics. She added that her government is committed to achieving justice in Attica through “strict and severe” rules that apply to everyone.
The promotion of investments in Greece, which is another element of the plan, will involve improving the democratic environment of the country, Dourou said, adding that no one wants to invest in a nation rife with social upheaval and unnecessary red tape.
While constructing such a plan will not be easy, Dourou said her government has “already started planting the seeds for political, economic [and] social renewal in Attica" and the "seeds of a new Greece.”
Syriza’s agenda includes strengthening the democratic institution, Dourou said, as well as promoting the right of the Greek people to a decent future, which means protecting the values of freedom, democracy and social justice.
“I make no concession in my beliefs,” Dourou said.
Dourou explained that her May 2014 election campaign was successful despite obstacles because her party “spoke the truth,” by not hiding the challenges that lie ahead while also emphasizing the need to speak less and act more.
Syriza did not make any promises, according to Dourou, which set her campaign apart from other political campaigns in Greece during the past few decades.
During the election season, the opponents of Syriza tried to exploit stereotypes to discount her platform, Dourou explained. In addition to misrepresenting Dourou’s agenda, those opponents presented Dourou as a young woman with limited experience in running local affairs, or as someone who did not want to be elected, she said.
Dourou said that the criticism ultimately proved an advantage, since she won the election for governorship against all odds. It was a victory that very few opinion polls had predicted.
“It was not a single political victory,” Dourou said. "It was a victory against prejudice toward women, against establishment … with male politicians monopolizing the power."
Explaining that her victory came from the people, Dourou said that the fact that the majority of voters had rejected the stereotypes of her opponents indicated the beginning of a new era for Greece.
In addressing the question of whether or not her victory could really make a difference or bring change to Greece, Dourou said she wanted to start by reformulating the terms of the question.
“Do the forces which have supported my candidacy in the region of Attica represent the political and social renewal which is necessary in Greece?” Dourou said.
Dourou described her current situation as a female governor by quoting Eleanor Roosevelt: “A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until you put it in hot water.”
“Right now I’m in the hot water of governing the most important region of the country, and this is a unique experience,” Dourou said.
The lecture, called "A New Face for Greece: What Difference Can a Woman Make," marked the last of Wilson College’s Signature Lecture Series for the academic year. The Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies and the Program in European Cultural Studies co-sponsored the event, which was held at 5 p.m. in McCosh 46.
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