Greece’s largest opposition party, conservative New Democracy, has decided to keep its current interim leader, Evangelos Meimarakis, in place until next Spring.
The party election will take place in Spring 2016. New Democracy party members decided to follow the statutory procedure that requires the President’s election by the party's members and registered supporters, something that happened again in November 2009.
According to the party’s charter, those who will be registered as party members, even just before the procedure, will have the right to vote. The party’s Political Committee will meet on Friday to ratify the decision.
Meimarakis succeeded ex-Prime Minister Antonis Samaras when the latter resigned earlier this month on the back of landslide victory of the 'No' vote in the Greek referendum, when voters rejected further austerity cuts.
New Democracy had campaigned for 'Yes' in Sunday's referendum, echoing warnings from European officials that a rejection of EU-IMF reform proposals could lead Greece out of the single currency zone.