The conservative main opposition New Democracy party’s unity was tested on Tuesday when current leader Evangelos Meimarakis is said to have stormed into the meeting of the party’s electoral committee. He barged in, launching a fierce attack on secretary Andreas Papamimikos and general manager Kostas Tsimaras with allegations that the process being followed to select a company to host the November 22 leadership ballot in a way that is not transparent.

One of Meimarakis demands is that all procedures to select IT companies bidding for the contract to manage the election be published online. He more or less criticised Papamimikos and Tsimaras of not following transparent procedures for the election of a new party leader.

Justifying his entrance, he said: “At a time when the people are being tried by a government that is unscrupulously enforcing a storm of taxes, pension cuts and the reduction of popular income, I will not allow the voting process of a leader for the New Democracy party be ridiculed.”