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The election collapse of New Democracy caused shock among the members and supporters of the party. Even its opponents still cannot believe what happened. After Kostas Karamanlis’  resignation from the leadership position and the announcement of an emergency congress of the party, two colleagues of the former PM announced that they are quitting politics. There are also rumors that other party members will also leave the active party life and some Karamanlis heirs are preparing themselves to take over.

The former economy minister Georgios Alogoskoufis announced yesterday that he is withdrawing from politics and is going back to academia, because he was not chosen to be a member in the new parliament. A little bit after him the former minister of construction and environment Georgios Souflyas announced the same. Souflyas is the man who was believed to have influenced Karamanlis to announce the pre-term elections and inside the party the negative energy was pointed at him. In his official statement to his opponents and to the voters he defended the pre-election idea with the argument that in February the results wouldn’t have been different.

The disappointment among the party members is still significant and outside the parliament big names from the party scheme remain. Names like, chief secretary of New Democracy Lefteris Zagoritis, former ministers Fani Pali-Petralya, Hristos Folias, Evangelos Basiakos and Andonis Bezas, the brother of the founder of the party Ahileas Karamanlis, former chairwoman of parliament Anna Psarouda-Benaki, deputy foreign minister Yannis Valinakis.

Meanwhile the inside fights for party chairman have started. Right now an undoubted favorite seems to be the former foreign minister Dora Bakoyanni but whether it will be her no one can know for sure before the congress, which is in 40 days. Her main opponent is former minister of culture Andonis Samaras, for who it is believed that he has big influence among the younger members of the party. This morning the governor of Thessaloniki Panayotis Psomiadis surprised everyone with his decision to run for New Democracy chairman. “I know I will not win. I am running because I have many things to say,” said Psomiadis.

Of course, we should not forget that everything going on in New Democracy right now is carefully followed by Kostas Karamanlis. The ones, who caused his political death, have probably forgotten Greek history. Otherwise they would have known that a Karamanlis never leaves after a loss but only after victory. So do not count Karamanlis out. At least not for now.