Conservative ND countdown to round 2 of leadership elections: Meimarakis vs. Mitsotakis

The conservative main opposition New Democracy (ND) party’s seasonal celebrations are overshadowed by the lack of a party leader. Without a TV debate in store, the two candidates are soldiering forth with daily duels aimed at convincing party members that they will make the best man for the job:

Evangelos Meimarakis has already pinpointed his adversaries weak points. One sore spot is the fact that Mitsotakis had been part of the ministerial group during the second bailout headed by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. He has already honed in on the Mitsotakis name linked to a political dynasty within the conservative party and has expressed doubts that Mitsotakis would have been voted in as a deputy had he not carried the family name.

Despite his lead over Mitsotakis in round one, he stresses that he neither considers himself a “favorite”, nor an “outsider” in round 2 where his early success can easily be overturned as Mitsotakis gathers the voters of Apostolos Tzitzikostas and Adonis Georgiadis who failed to make it to the second round of leadership elections. Despite both these candidates support of Mitsotakis, Meimarakis does not believe that the party voters will follow their lead like sheep. “The results can’t change easily, but this doesn’t mean that they can’t be overturned,” he said.

On his part, Mitsotakis stresses that he comes from the center of the party and is able to express the needs of citizens that don’t identify with other factions of the party. Ultimately, he believes that he’ll be able to increase the party’s approval ratings against Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Recently he noted that he doesn’t want a shrunken ND, but one that people would vote “yes” to in a referendum for a creative and pro-European Greece and one that would invest in real work and meritocracy.

Nonetheless, Mitsotakis has pledged unity regardless of whether ND voters would choose him or Meimarakis.