Good-bye ‘Yorgo’, Hello Kostas
With a three-point lead, Karamanlis gained the ‘undecided’ votes and increased the gap. As Greek television channels announced that, according to preliminary results, NDP won the election by five or seven points, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has confirmed the first unofficial data.
Television channels announced that the 48-year old Karamanlis "would be the youngest prime minister of the country" with at least 44 percent of total votes cast. Referring to the color of NDP flag, they claimed "a blue revolution starts in Greece."
According to the first unofficial results of the Greek Ministry of Internal Affairs, reflecting the six percent of the tallied total votes cast in Greece, NDP won 48 percent, PASOK 41 percent, Communist Party 5 percent and Leftist Alliance 2.6 percent of the votes.
While the Communist Party seems to have stepped over the three percent of minimum, the situation of the leftist alliance is difficult to ascertain.
Turkish minorities, who represent 70,000 votes, ran to the ballot boxes in order to send a representative to the parliament. Turkish minorities voted at election centers in Gumulcine (Komotini), Iskece (Skec), and Dedeagac.
Other than a few small drawbacks, there were no major problems although a fire that occurred in a Turkish mosque in the Okcula villiage of Iskec caused a sabotage suspicion. Other problems involved vote compasses-there were some shortage, some cases of the vote compasses failing to reach their destination, and some issues with tardy authorizers.
According to preliminary results, Ilhan Ahmet, of the NDP was certain to enter the parliament. Ahmet noted that the elections are a turning point for minority rights.
The Rodop deputy of PASOK, Galip Galip, said, "I am expecting a result that would help to solve the problems of the Turkish minority."
Nearly 9,000 Western Trace Turks who live in Turkey, went to the region to vote. Isik Sadik Ahmet, the wife of Sadik Ahmet, a symbolic name in Western Thrace, voted in Small Sirkeli, one the villages of Gumulcine, and said, "Dense participation of the Turkish minority is hopeful for the future."
