Socialist PASOK’s first, unofficial at least, reaction railed against former leader and prime minister George Papandreou, who left the party at the beginning of the month to lead a new group – and in the process entice voters away from PASOK.

“If PASOK doesn’t take third place, then that reason has a name, and it’s George Papandreou,” PASOK officials reportedly charged on Sunday evening, moments after the first exit poll results showed the once-dominant party reeling in only between 4.2 and 5.2 percent of the general vote.

Papandreou’s Kinima party (the acronym for the Movement of Democratic Socialists) was calculated at 2.2 to 3.2% – with 3.0 percent being the all-important threshold for entering Parliament.

Officially, PASOK officials said it was too soon to comment, ahead of more concise tallies.

Nevertheless, the same unnamed officials said PASOK is expected to support the new government in its “difficult negotiations” with the country’s creditors.