When Rena Dourou assumed her duties as prefect of the Attica region (which includes Athens), staff collectively held their breath. As the only member of Greece’s radical left Syriza party to be elected to high public office, the politician had promised a root and branch cleanup following her victory in local polls last May. Where would the combative 40-year-old begin? With the corruption that was endemic in the state sector, or with the cronyism that for 40 years had oiled its wheels?
