Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Evangelos Meimarakis continued his pre-election campaign trail from another major Cretan city, Rethymnon, where he called on voters to refrain from choosing a ‘punitive vote’ in the September 20 elections. “A protest vote, abstention and punitive voting paved the way for a SYRIZA government, which led to the country being indebted by a further 90bln Euros…I do not believe we deserved to pay such a high price just to show our protest”, said Meimarakis. He expressed his optimism that New Democracy was on a path of victory, adding that the main goal of his party was to rejuvenate the country with the help of all creative people and those who had faith in the European prospect of Greece. “Our government will proceed rapidly in undoing all that went backwards over the past 7 months, by negotiations of substance abroad that will not depend on the time needed but the results…”, he underlined. In an attempt to show that he recognized his party’s mistakes of the past, Meimarakis met with Mayors of the Prefecture of Rethymnon and apologized for the inertia displayed by New Democracy while in power on key issues like the problems faced by the regional farmers’ associations, the promotion of the North Road Axis, problems in the tourism industry and the Rethymnon port, promising he would speed up all the necessary actions to address them. Aiming to woo the rural vote he pledged to support farmers and stock breeders, who were up against a harsh economic reality, especially after the imposition of higher taxes on their incomes, in accordance with the terms included in the 3rd rescue plan to Greece.