Symbolism was heavy on Tuesday evening during an outdoor rally by conservative New Democracy (ND) Evangelos Meimarakis in central Athens, as the spot picked for the address was in front of the neo-classical building that served as party HQ for decades.

In front of thousands of party supporters as well as former ND leaders and top caders, Meimarakis dismissed front-runner SYRIZA party’s slogan of avoiding the “old party system”, saying “this old system governed with the people’s vote… They’re trying to find divisive dilemmas: the old with the new; the old with the new must go together; the younger generation’s enthusiasm with its elders…”

The rally in front of ND’s historic headquarters — which was abandoned by former PM Antonis Samaras for a glass-and-steel office building off a southern Athens boulevard — appears to confirm a strategy by ND of trying to lure back center-right, pro-Europeans and traditionalists it lost in recent elections, as well as to emphasize its political roots.

Meimarakis called on Greek voters to give him a four-year mandate, stressing that not a single vote must be lost.

The veteran lawmaker said priorities in a ND government would be to boost stability and a business-friendly climate in order to attract investments, “so the younger generations don’t have to emigrate.”

“We urge all citizens, regardless of who they voted for before to come and meet us on the path leading to growth.”