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Two representatives of older and younger generations of Greek conservatives to compete for party leaders

Xinhua, December 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Two representatives of the older and younger generations of Greek conservatives are to compete for the main opposition party leadership in the second round of elections on January 10, according to the first official results of Sunday's first ballot.

Veteran party heavyweight Vangelis Meimarakis, 62 years old, won 39.5 percent of votes in Sunday's battle, with the 85 percent of all votes counted, the head of the New Democracy party's electoral committee Yannis Tragakis announced on Monday.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 47, followed gathering 28.3 percent of votes, according to the official results.

Four candidates vied for the post in the first round. The Central Macedonia Governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas received 21.1 percent of votes, while former Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis 11.07 percent.

All contenders and party officials welcomed the significant turnout and stressed that regardless of who will be the next leader, the party will move forward united to contribute to the benefit of the country.

More than 400,000 voters -about one out of three of the party's voters in the September general elections- voted in Sunday's ballot.

Political analysts in Athens commented that the race will be most likely too close to call in January, as Georgiadis openly expressed his support for Mitsotakis on Monday.

Meimarakis, a former Parliament Speaker and Minister of Defense, who served as interim party leader from July to November appeared to have won the support of former party chiefs and former Prime Ministers who influence several party members.

Mitsotakis, the son of former party leader and Premier Konstantinos Mitsotakis, seemed to have won the backing of the younger party officials, the liberal wing and the technocrats.

The previous leader of New Democracy and former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras resigned from the party's helm after the July 5 referendum on Greece's new bailout agreement with lenders. Endit