Kyriakos Mitsotakis was elected as New Democracy president on Sunday. It was a close encounter as Kyriakos Mitsotakis overcame his opponent Evangelos Meimarakis to secure the support of New Democracy’s followers. The number of people who came out to vote on Sunday amounted to 320,000, with the maximum that candidates could hope for being 404,000, as that was the number of people who voted in the first round.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis will now head political opposition in Greece. With Sunday’s vote New Democracy concludes more than a two month period where the party’s main focus was the elections.
Elections Run Smoothly Barring One Episode
Sunday’s elections unfolded without incident except for a polling station in the area of New Philadelphia where a group of 20 people stormed the station and threw paint at the ballot box. One hundred and fifty people had voted before the incident and the electoral committee called them to vote again.
Polls also remained open for a half hour more than originally scheduled due to the long lines.
New Democracy’s Leaders Vote
Kyriakos Mitsotakis cast his own vote at around 10:30 am in Kifissia and afterward stated that “a new day is dawning for ND and Greece.” He thanked voters that took part in the process and appealed to everyone to exercise their right to vote.
“On Monday, ND will not only be united but also renewed and ready to put forward an alternative plan of governance,” he said.
Evangelos Meimarakis visited the polling station at the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and said he felt optimistic that “ND will proceed positively from tomorrow, whichever president is elected.” He later voted at a polling station at the former town hall in Ymittos. In the case that he is elected president, Meimarakis pledged that any changes in the party’s structure and organization will be based on merit and democratic procedures, avoiding patronage and cronyism.
Interim ND President Yiannis Plakiotakis voted in Agios Nikolaos, Crete and said that the present goal was to make ND a great, strong and modern European political force. “Through our participation, we ensure our party’s smooth progress into the future,” he said.
(With information from ANA-MPA)
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