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GreekReporter.comGreeceCandidates for New Democracy Leadership Fight Over Procedure

Candidates for New Democracy Leadership Fight Over Procedure

New DemocracyNew Democracy interim president Vangelis Meimarakis accused the party’s central electoral committee for trying to contrive the results of the election.
According to people close to Meimarakis, the transitional party chief believes that party secretary Andreas Papamimikos and general director Kostas Tsimaras tried to manipulate the elections by hiring a company of their choice to count the ballots in order to rig the results.
Meimarakis said that the electoral procedure chosen lacks transparency and ridicules New Democracy. The current leader’s displeasure with the process so far has provoked scenarios of him pulling out of the race. Yet, people close to him said that he is not going to abandon the candidacy.
There is still a dispute over who is going to vote and what the election fee would be. Meimarakis’ supporters say that the committee claims he wants those who are not party members to pay a higher contribution than party members.
Meimarakis was so irked that he burst in the committee meeting and pulled out his representative Theodoros Abatzoglou saying that the whole process is ridiculing the party.
The representatives of the three remaining candidates — Adonis Georgiadis, Apostolos Tzitzikostas and Kyriakos Mitsotakis — decided that an open tender for the company that will count the votes will be posted on the party’s website.
The committee also decided that 1,300 ballots will be set in 900 different areas. The contribution will be 3 euros per voter.
The party estimates that the election will cost 500,000-600,000 euros. The last time the conservative party held a ballot to elect party chief, 781,000 people voted.
New Democracy MP Notis Mitarakis spoke on Skai television on Wednesday saying that this kind of behavior does not fit in and that the only thing of importance right now is party unity.
Along the same wavelength, party MP Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said that, “… it is time (the candidates) assume their responsibilities. New Democracy is not the four candidates.”
Adonis Georgiadis took the initiative to arrange a meeting between the four candidates on Wednesday evening, one hour before New Democracy scheduled parliamentary session.

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