According to the latest estimates over 300,000 PASOK – KINAL members and friends cast their ballots in the centrist party’s first-round presidential elections on Sunday, with the largest centers in Attica and Thessaloniki recording the highest participation rates.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m., and while initially scheduled to close at 7 p.m., a committee designated with the oversight of the electoral process decided to give an extension until 8 p.m. due to the larger than expected turnout of voters. The official results will be announced at the end of the procedure.
According to reports, participation is expected to be 35% higher than in the previous party elections, while 50% of voters are new members. In the 2021 elections, 270,000 voters had participated in the first round.
Unofficial sources suggest incumbent president Nikos Androulakis is leading, followed by Anna Diamantopoulou based on the initial results from Sydney, Australia.
Party members and anyone over the age of 16 are allowed to vote by declaring, at any polling station they attend, their desire to register either as a member or as a friend of the party and by signing a declaration stating that they are not members of any other party. All voters will be required to pay a fee of 3 euros. They must bring an official form of identification, such as a police ID card, passport, or any other public document (e.g., a driver’s license), for identity verification.
PASOK is currently polling second in a slew of opinion polls published in Greece. According to a recent Metron Alaysis poll, Nikos Androulakis leads the pack with 24%, followed by former EU Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou, who has risen in the polls and is given 22% in the Metron Analysis results. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas appears to have lost momentum and follows with 20%, while one-time minister and current MP Pavlos Geroulanos now gaining and reaching 18%.
The first batch of official results is expected to be released after 9.30 pm.
