ND election: countdown is on with Meimarakis tipped to be in the lead (pics)

400,000 voters meant that the voting times were given a one-hour extension, now the countdown is on with the first results expected at 9 p.m.

More than 400,000 voters showed up at the conservative main opposition leadership elections, double the number that had been expected. For this reason, the voting session has been extended to ensure that everybody until the last member has a chance to cast their vote.

The electoral centers opened at 7 a.m. as scheduled and the voting proceeded according to plan though the huge turnout resulted in people waiting for as much as 2 hours in long lines in some cases. Problems were noted at 7 p.m., the scheduled time for the closing of the voting centers, as more than 370,000 people had voted at this time and it was decided to extend the closure to 8 p.m.

Now the countdown is on to measure the votes with pundits forecasting that Vangelis Meimarakis, former interim ND leader, to have a lead ahead of other candidates. It is expected that the first results will be available at 9 p.m. at voting centers with less members.

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