Political neophyte Stefanos Kasselakis elected new leader of Greece’s main opposition Syriza party
By DEMETRIS NELLAS
Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A 35-year-old businessman without prior political experience has been elected to lead Greece’s main opposition bloc, the left-wing Syriza party. Stefanos Kasselakis defeated Effie Achtsioglou, a 38-year-old lawmaker and former labor minister, in a runoff contest. Three other candidates had been eliminated in an earlier first round. With the votes still being counted, Achtsioglou called her rival to congratulate him. Kasselakis had just under 57% of the votes late Sunday with 70% of precincts reporting, while Achtsioglou had just over 43%. About 136,000 Greeks turned out to vote, fewer than in the first round.