Fournoi: mayor Dimitris Karydis has died

Dimitris Karydis, mayor of Fournoi Korseon, died on 15 August 2026 at the age of 57 at the General Hospital of Samos, after a long battle with cancer. The news emerged on Sunday 16 August and made a strong impression across the North Aegean, where the late mayor was known both for his time in local government and for his bond with the small island cluster he administered. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday 19 August 2026, at 12:30, on Fournoi.

Dimitris Karydis took office as mayor in December 2020 and was re-elected in the 2023 local elections, taking 60.90% of the vote. The breadth of his electoral support is seen as an indication of how widely he was accepted locally, particularly in a municipality where the total number of voters is small and personal relationships largely shape the political landscape. His term coincided with the pandemic and with the chronic problems of the small islands, from ferry connections to the staffing of health services.

Fournoi Korseon is a cluster of islands between Samos and Ikaria, with a permanent population of just under 1,500 residents, and is among the smallest municipalities in the country. On islands of this size the mayor’s role extends far beyond the formal duties of local government, since the municipal authority often acts as residents’ only available interlocutor with the central state. Fournoi has a substantial fishing fleet relative to its size, a sector that remains a basic pillar of the local economy alongside low-key tourism.

Under the law on local government authorities, the mayor’s duties are carried out by his deputy until the municipal council proceeds to elect a new mayor for the remainder of the term, a process that has not yet been announced by the Municipality of Fournoi Korseon. His death comes a few days after the coastal fishing sector was strengthened through the new monitoring system for 10,743 vessels, an issue that directly concerns Fournoi.