Karamanlis wins elections again

After the general elections held in Greece yesterday,
PM Kostas Karamanlis’ conservative New Democracy
Party have won. After the victory, Karamanlis has said he
will become the PM of all Greeks.

ATHENS- In the early elections organized yesterday, 80 %
of votes have been counted up to now. And New Democracy
Party have taken 43 % of votes, guaranteeing to send 154
deputies to the Parliament. 
Rate of votes taken by the main opposition party PASOK, which
entered elections ambitiously, presided by Yorgo Papandreu remained
at 38 %. In this new period, PASOK will be represented by 103 deputies.
Having completed the requirement of 3 % threshold in order to be
represented, radical nationalist party Laos objecting to Turkey’s
accession to the European Union have for the first time been entitled
to be represented in the Parliamant. 2 Turkish deputies are also going to the Greek Parliament from PASOK
list.  It is not expected that Karamanlis will make any change in his policies concerning foreign policy and
especially Turkish-Greek relations.
In his statement, he said the voters has given a clear instruction to his party in order that New Democracy
Party should continue the reforms.
Kostas Karamanlis, “Thank you everybody. Our supporters have sent us a very clear message. You have
chosen the right way for our country to develop. We will continue much more decisively and much faster.
I have wanted votes to form a stable government. You have provided this. Therefore we will be commited
to the liabilities we have taken.” said.
Pointing out that they will take immediate actions to help the victims of forest fires happening in August and
causing 67 people to die and thousands of people to be left homeless, Karamanlis stated they have avoided
obtaining a political polarization during electoral campaigns and they will always continue this.

Papandreu: We respect public opinion

Yorgo Papandreu, president of PASOK, main opposition party in Greece, said public made their decisions
and they gave a duty for one-period of opposition party to them and so they respected this decision. 

In his speech, Papandreu said they struggled much but the party could not win the race. Also expressing
that he would require confidence vote from his party, he indicated he would apply to the Congress. Papandreu
 thanked all voters. Adding that PASOK received the message given by the voters, Papandreu told they would
continue their efforts to eliminate the right-wing from the power and make brave changes in the party. 

Evangelos Venizelos, one of the major persons in PASOK, declared to stand as candidate for PASOK leadership.
In his statement, Venizelos said PASOK may have won the elections but could not and he congratulated Papandreu
to accept his own responsibility in failure.

Emphasizing that party regulation demands an election for a new general leader be made under such conditions,
Venizelos, “I am in the race” said.