"Seeking to avert national catastrophe, the military leaders dissolved their authority and approved the creation of a civilian government under Constantine Karamanlis" (Papacosma 188). The citizens persuaded Constantine Karamanlis (founder of the Greek Radical Union) to return from exile in France to establish a government of national unity. His return was set to last until proper elections could be held. Karamanlis' newly established party, the New Democracy (ND), won elections that were held in November 1974, and he became Prime Minister. The November elections gave the New Democracy Party an astounding 54.4 per cent of the vote (Veremis 172). The New Democracy Party is extremely significant to Greece's history because is marks the return of a Parliamentary Republic after approximately seven years of military dictatorship.
During the national elections of September 22, 1996, which were called without warning, New Democracy received 38.12% of the vote, while PASOK won the elections with 41.19% of the vote. The President of the New Democracy, Miltiades Evert, offered his resignation and began the procedure for the election of a new Party president. In October of the same year, Miltiades Evert was re-elected to the position of president of the New Democracy from the electoral body. (Moments of the History). On March 21, 1997, the first vote for the election of a new president took place. The candidates won the following percentages of the vote, Costas Karamanlis 40.73%, Giorgos Souflias 30.52%, Miltiades Evert 25.34% and Vyron Polydoras 3.4%. During the second round of voting, Costas Karamanlis was elected president of the party with 69.19%, while Giorgos Souflias received 30.84% of the vote. New Democracy lost the popular vote in 1996, receiving 108 seats. Its main opposition party, and subsequently the more dominant party of 1996, PASOK, received 162 seats.
More recently, January of 2000, an Athens newspaper, Ta Nea, published the first public opinion polls.