ATHENS – Former premier George Papandreou, who finished second in a first round of voting to decide the new leader of the center-left Movement for Change (KINAL) party, pulled back from suggestions it wasn’t above board.

Papandreou headed the former PASOK Socialist party that went bust after his successor, Evangelos Venizelos, agreed to be a junior partner in a coalition headed by its rival New Democracy in a government and agreed to harsh austerity.

Papandreou resigned as Premier in 2011 after calling for a referendum on more pay cuts, tax hikes and slashed pensions and fell out of favor, other party leaders taking into the new KINAL which lags far behind in voter preference at 6-7 percent.

After reports he had alleged irregularities in the voting that saw him get 27.78 percent, far behind Member of the European Parliament Nikos Androulakis at 37.06 percent, Papandreou said that he didn’t make such accusations.

An unclear statement he released said that “On the occasion of publications that do not correspond to reality regarding the letter of George A. Papandreou to the Election Commission, we clarify that George A. Papandreou did not make any complaint, on the contrary from the Commission to investigate complaints that have been submitted to that body,” said Kathimerini.

“Nobody talked about fraud, nobody raised the issue of the result of the first Sunday. George A. Papandreou, as he should have done, did the obvious for the Party and the respect of the rules of the electoral process and in order to ensure next Sunday’s process,” speaking of himself in the third person.

Androulakis also downplayed any sense there was trouble in the marginal party that is politically irrelevant with only 22 seats in the 300-member Parliament, leaving it with no real voice or say in what happens.

“I will not allow anyone to play with the unity of the party….Our members were hurt, our friends will not be hurt again by the behaviors of old protagonists,” said Androulakis as the two will square off in a final vote on Dec. 12 to pick a leader.