This is a First Class Fiasco for a political party that claims to govern Greece. Everything was ready for the elections on Sunday morning, voters had gone to the polling stations, their ID and 3 euro at hand, the four candidates were standing by at the race start. 1,290 ballot boxes in 833 polling centers across the country. Everything was read NOT. The technical company that was assigned to provide the system for the online voting had allegedly failed big in preparing the voting system.
The system collapsed technically, not voting was possible.
Voters got angry, candidates got angry, organizers got angry.
Greek internet and social media got ‘fire’.
One of the evil devices that refused to cooperate.
Immediately the four candidates Meimarakis, Tzitzikostas, Mitsorakis and Gerogiadis started to shoot their well-sharpened arrows full of criticism and poison at all possible directions.
Rumors have it that the four candidates had smoke coming from their ears and noses, that their faces had turned dangerously red and that their blood pressure hit world championship records
After an hour or so of trouble and distress, the organizers committee decided to postpone the voting. It issued a short statement saying among others “Based on the assurances of the legal service of the party, the company that was responsible for the technical part of the voting failed to fulfill its contractual obligations. Therefore, it is technically impossible to carry out the process of the elections today.“
Now candidates Meimarakis, Mitsotakis and Georgiadis demand from ND general Secretary and chairman of organizers committee Andreas Papamimikos to resign.
Candidate Tzitzikostas demands the resignation of Papamimikos and Meimarakis who is also the provisional ND leader after ex PM Samaras resigned due to January elections failure of the party.
In short: New Democracy is boiling and everybody is against everybody.
UPDATE:
According to Greek media, the IT company returned the down-payment to ND, now the ND plans to sue the company for 1.5 million euro.
News website Parapolitika.gr claims that the “the total payment to the company would be 410,000 euro, including among others the development of an information system that would allow voters’ access and verification of eligibility, transmission and processing of results and their presentation, training of support group, installation of telephone center, website technical support, set up of e-polling stations, and the supply of 2,500 tablets worth approximately 230,000 euro.”
The new round of elections may take place in 2-3 weeks.
(note: if one considers that the ND elections started 2 months ago and ended in failure, all I can predict is that
in 3 weeks SYRIZA and Tsipras could manage one round of early elections, one Referendum, extraordinary municipalities voting, dissolve the Eurozone and build up a new currency union. #just-saying)
Welcome to Greece – Never a dull moment!
You’re probably right! 😀