The Central Committee of New Democracy on Saturday agreed that the election of the new leader for the party will involve party members and ‘Friends of New Democracy.’
The decision resolved an on-going dispute between the four candidates for the leadership on how the election process was going to be conducted.
Existing party members and those who become members via the net up until the day of the elections will be entitled to vote for the new leader of the main Opposition party.
The decision reconciles the differing positions of the four candidates, particularly that of Dora Bakoyannis who insisted that the original decision by the party to restrict the entitlement to take part to party members and that of Dimitris Avramopoulos that both party members and those who register themselves as ‘Friends of New Democracy’ should also be entitled to take part in the election process.
The proposition was put to the New Democracy central committee by Dimitris Avaramopoulos and seconded by outgoing leader, Costas Karamanlis.
The motion was passed unanimously.
Dora Bakoyannis, Antonis Samaras, Dimitris Avramopoulos and Panayiotis Psomiadis held talks ahead of the meeting of the central committee in a bid to settle a dispute that has broken over who will be able to vote in the upcoming election for New Democracy president.
Avramopoulos, a former health minister, insisted that “friends” of the party, who do not sign up to become ND members, should be allowed to cast a ballot. Psomiadis said he is not opposed to this plan and Samaras said he could also agree to this process under certain conditions.
However, Bakoyannis was opposed to any further changes as all four candidates had signed up to a specific process, which will see the party books remain open until the final minutes before the election is held in late November or early December so that new members can join.
The ex-foreign minister believed that this gave anyone who wanted to have a say in proceedings ample opportunity to take part and that there was no need to open up the process to “friends,” as PASOK has done in recent leadership elections.
The decision will now need to be approved by the upcoming party conference.
The head of the conference organising committee Mr Sioufas sent a message to the conference delegates informing them that the conference will take place in Athens on November 7 – 8 and that the primary purpose of the conference is changes to the constitution to allow changes in the election of the party leader and the process the election will follow.
The Party secretary Mr Zagoritis will address the conference on the proposed change and the election of the leader will proceed on the final weekend in November or the first week in December.