From one day to the next, Lixouri was informed that its post office was closing. The Hellenic Post store, which for decades served Paliki, is being added to the list of 204 branches abolished nationwide in the context of the new «restructuring» of the ELTA. For the big cities this may not be disruptive. But for an island region like Lixouri, where every public service is vital, the closure of the post office is another blow to everyday life and to the sense of equal treatment of the inhabitants.
The news came suddenly. Officials were informed only a short time before the decision was made public, while citizens learned about it from postings and publications. No information, no plan to «transition» or replace services. For those without a car, the only option now will be to take the boat to be served in Argostoli - a process that requires time, effort and additional costs. The result is that a daily need becomes an entire campaign.
As local residents point out, the post office did not only serve letters and parcels. It was the place where bills were paid, simple banking transactions were carried out, medicines or benefits were received. For many elderly people, it was the easiest and safest way to have contact with the public. Local professionals used it for deliveries and payments. And now, suddenly, all of this has to be redefined, with no clear alternative.
Speaking to local media, Dimitris Mantzouratos stressed that «Lixouri is deteriorating day by day - the people must organize and react». Costas Valsamos spoke of a «cry of anguish» against a policy that forgets the islanders. For his part, Spyrogiannis Perdikis asked the Mayor of Lixouri, George Katsivelis, to inform whether there have been interventions to the management of the ELTA or at the government level. At the same time, citizens are asking the Municipal Council to coordinate actions to find a solution or at least maintain a service point.
The decision is part of a wider programme to «rationalise» the ELTA network, which provides for the merger or closure of 204 branches across the country. Officially, the aim is to reduce operating costs and shift towards digital services. In practice, however, this policy leaves behind regions that do not have the same possibilities as the large urban centres. The digital switchover is progressing, but it is not as easy for everyone: many elderly people have difficulty with online transactions, and in several villages in Paliki access to a fixed network remains problematic. Thus, a «modernisation» policy that seems rational on paper, in practice widens inequalities.
The issue is not only practical but also symbolic. Lixouri has seen several public services removed or shrunk in recent years. Just a few days ago, the shop of National Bank of Greece, further limiting residents« options for basic transactions. Each such step reinforces the feeling that Paliki is being degraded, that its residents must make »a trip" to access the basics. And the post office decision seems to be another chapter in this gradual removal of the state from the daily life of the region.
In a recent intervention, Dimitris Messaris stressed that «Lixouri is not a city of darkness, it is a city of light that they want to extinguish». A phrase that sums up the mood of many residents: frustration, but also stubbornness not to passively accept this development. Discussions have already begun about mobilizations and joint interventions by stakeholders towards the Post Office and the Ministry of Digital Governance. Because the issue of the Post Office is not just an administrative one - it is a matter of equality, access and respect for citizens of small towns.
The problem, of course, is not limited to Kefalonia. Similar reactions have occurred in many regions of Greece. In Andros, residents are complaining that they have to travel to another island to be served. In Siatista, the municipal council called the closure of the post office an «attack on the region». In Ierapetra, citizens gathered outside the shop holding banners with the message: «You don't close our needs with a decision». Across the country, the common thread is one: a sense that the region is gradually being weakened as public services are being withdrawn in favour of “efficiency”.
In the case of Lixouri, the loss has an emotional dimension. The post office was not just a public service but part of the collective memory of the town. For decades, letters, parcels, wishes and memories passed through it. It was one of the few places where all generations met - from the elderly pensioner to the student waiting for his parcel. With its closure, a small part of that social continuity is being erased.
The next day remains unclear. There has been no official announcement about alternatives or whether a service point will be maintained. If there is no intervention, it is most likely that the residents of Paliki will now be forced to be served exclusively in Argostoli. And this, at a time when transport costs are already high and infrastructure is inadequate, creates additional obstacles for the most vulnerable.
However, the issue has stimulated public debate on the island. Municipal factions, professional bodies and citizens seem to agree that this decision cannot pass quietly. The local community has proven many times that it knows how to assert itself. And Lixouri has historically shown that whenever something is taken away, it reacts collectively, with calmness and determination.
Why this downward slide can not continue. Every service that leaves leaves behind a bigger gap, and every gap becomes an alibi for the next lockout. Lixouri cannot be treated as an “annex” to Argostoli, nor as a number on an expense table. It is a town with history, with life and with people who deserve the same care and presence of the state as any other citizen.
The closure of the ELTA is not just a financial decision; it is a warning of where indifference can lead. And if this city has proven anything, it is that it will not accept its degradation without protest. Lixouri has been through earthquakes, crises and injustices - and each time it has risen. It will do so again.
English 
Greek