THE right wing New Democracy leader, Mr Miltiade Evert, last night conceded defeat to the governing Pasok party in Greece's general election held earlier in the day.
Mr Evert acknowledged, in a televised declaration, that Prime Minister Costas Simitis and his Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) were the winners and announced his resignation as party leader.
New Democracy "would continue to help Pasok to solve the country's major problems," he added, as he congratulated Mr Simitis. Mr Evert (57), was elected head of New Democracy in October 1993, taking over from Mr Constant in Mitsotakis.
Earlier yesterday, three exit polls gave Pasok a four point lead over New Democracy in the general election.
Mr Simitis, running his first national campaign, had 41.5 to 42 per cent of the vote. Mr Evert's New Democracy had 38 to 38.7 per cent, according to the exit polls.
The victory is a personal triumph for Mr Simitis, who had sought to win backing at the ballot box after taking over both the leadership of the party and the country from the late Andreas Papendreou.
Mr Papendreou, the founder of modern Greek socialism, died in June after a long battle against illness, which led him to resign as party leader in January.
Last night, Pasok supporters raced through the streets of Athens sounding car horns and waving party flags.
"It is the first time that Pasok has won the elections without Andreas Papendreou. I am very moved. We have a lot of work ahead of us," said Mr George Papendreou, the outgoing education minister and eldest son of the late leader.
Mega television quoted a poll by the French institute BVA suggesting that Pasok would win the elections with 42.3 per cent of the vote, leaving New Democracy trailing with 38 per cent.
Another poll by the PRC institute broadcast on the state channel, ERT-1, pointed to a Pasok victory with 42.3 per cent, over New Democracy with 38.9 per cent.
Antenna channel said the figures in its poll, if confirmed, would give Pasok more than 159 deputies in the 300 seat parliament.
If the final results follow the exit polls, it is another humiliating defeat for the right, which has failed to dent the socialists domination of the Greek political scene since 1981, except for a brief period in office from 1990 to 1993.
"Pasok must win because it alone can bring Greece into the 21st century," Mr Simitis had said as he voted in Piraeus.
The exit polls also put the Communist party KKE third with between 5.5 and 4.9 per cent, the left wing coalition of Synaspismos with around 4.5 per cent, and the new populists of the Democratic Renewal Movement (Dikki) at between 3.8 and 4 per cent.