ATHENS, Jan 19 (AFP) - Greece's socialist PASOK party on Thursday elected pro-European modernist Costas Simitis to succeed ailing Andreas Papandreou as the country's new prime minister, officials said. He won with 86 votes, against 75 for pro-Papandreou candidate Tsohatzopoulos, according to official results. Simitis, 59, a former industry minister, stands for rupture with the past and the promise of a new era after Papandreou's 20 years in power. Simitis has criticised Papandreou for dragging Greece away from the European Union, which it joined in 1981. On Wednesday, Simitis, addressing the central committee members of the party behind closed doors, proposed a stronger "European orientation" for Greece, the easternmost of the 15 European Union members, party sources said. President Bill Clinton congratulated Costas Simitis. "Greece and the United States are close friends and allies, we also share special ties of kinship," said a White House statement. "The United States looks foward to working closely with Prime Minister Simitis," it said. bp/gk/gd AFP /AA1234/181726 GMT JAN 96

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