Main opposition New Democracy (ND) will go to an extraordinary party conference to elect a new party president on November 7, an ND press release announced on last week.

The decision, possibly his last as head of the party, was made by outgoing ND President Costas Karamanlis after successive meetings at ND headquarters.

The former prime minister had announced his resignation from ND’s helm following his party’ electoral defeat in the recent national elections, saying that the party’s Congress would convene in a month’s time to choose a new leader and that he would not be standing for re-election.

So far, only one person has announced his candidacy for the post of ND’s leadership, Thessaloniki Prefect Panagiotis Psomiadis.

He said he was “taking a front seat” and contesting the ND leadership, but left open the prospect of eventually backing some other “major” candidacy that would convince him it represents “the platform of the broad center-right” wing.

However key party figures Dora Bakoyiannis, Dimitris Avramopoulos and Antonis Samaras are expected to be candidates for the leadership of New Democracy.

Jockeying for advantage has begun to determine on what basis the appointment of the leader will be undertaken.

Dora Bakoyiannis is calling for the decision of their last party conference in 2007 for the election of the leader by party delegates and parliamentarians be respected, while Dimitris Avramopoulos has asked for a more open election process involving party members as well as friends of New Democracy.

Antonis Samaras has come out and said he is willing to accept whichever option is agreed to if it helps the process of electing a leader.

Karamanlis, 53, served as premier since March 2004, winning general elections twice in 2004 and 2007.