The Best of GRReporter
flag_bg flag_gr flag_gb

live New Democracy chose Kyriakos Mitsotakis as its leader

10 January 2016 / 21:01:56  GRReporter
2489 reads

22:30 Kyriakos Mitsotakis wins in Attica, Thessaloniki, Larissa and Crete. His victory is considered safe. With 70% of ballots counted, Mitsotakis leads with 51.4% against 48.6% for Meimarakis.

21:30 Results from different regions are gradually coming in. Meimarakis wins in the Fthiotida region with 55% to 45%. Mitsotakis wins in Evritania with 52.7% against 47.3%. Meanwhile, the governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who ran for the ND presidency in the first round,  tweeted a congratulation to the new president, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The election for president of New Democracy turned into a real derby. The election day was extended by half an hour and ended at 19:30 to fit in the queues of waiting people. According to Vima FM radio, in 17% of polling stations outside the two big cities, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is ahead of Vangelis Meimarakis with 54% to 46%. However, this result could easily tip the other way after the results from Athens and Thessaloniki come out.

This time 325,000 have voted compared to 404,000 in the first round. Turnout nationwide was about 80%. This is why the staffs of the two candidates are looking to the two most populous constituencies – Attica and Central Macedonia – as they will decide the final result. It is believed that in order to come out on top Kyriakos Mitsotakis must win Attica by at least 55%.

Vangelis Meimarakis told Kathimerini that not 60%, but 100% of the New Democracy supporters want renewal, adding that he himself could warrant that these changes would be substantial.

 

Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that a new day for New Democracy and Greece begins today and added that on Monday the party will not simply be united, but renewed as well. Finally Mitsotakis stressed that the new centre-right will soon be able to come up with an alternative plan to get the country out of the crisis.

 

The day was marred by an accident in a Nea Philadelphia polling station. A group of anarchists with covered faces burst into the premises, overturned the ballot boxes, poured red paint on them, and triggered some more mayhem. The Rubicon anarchist group subsequently took responsibility for the act.

 

The shops being closed today, as well as the rain, also contributed to the weaker turnout.

 

The final results are expected at around 23:00. To avoid the delays of the first round, this time the papers can be sent by email rather than by fax.

 

404,000 citizens, who had taken part in the first round of the primaries, were entitled to vote in the second round. This time they weren't paying fees and filling out forms, so the queues in front of polling stations were not as long.

Expect further details.

Tags: New Democracy primaries Kyriakos Mitsotakis Vangelis Meimarakis
SUPPORT US!
GRReporter’s content is brought to you for free 7 days a week by a team of highly professional journalists, translators, photographers, operators, software developers, designers. If you like and follow our work, consider whether you could support us financially with an amount at your choice.
Subscription
You can support us only once as well.
blog comments powered by Disqus