Opinion poll shows ND lead widening
A new opinion poll shows the ruling center-right New Democracy leading left-wing SYRIZA by 6.5% in voting intentions.
The poll, based on a sample of 1,051, was done by research firm Pulse and commission by TV station Skai.
The previous poll, conducted on April 4, had showed New Democracy 4% ahead of SYRIZA.
Among respondents, New Democracy gets 32%, SYRIZA 25.5%, the socialist PASOK-Movement for Change 9.5%, the Communist Party 6%, the left wing MeRa25 5%, the hard-right populist Greek Solution 4%, the far-right National Party-Greeks 3%, others 4%, while 11% are undecided. Among the undecided, almost 2 out of 5 do not have or state a likely preference, while, among the rest, those leaning toward SYRIZA outnumber those leaning toward New Democracy almost 2 to 1, while a sizable chunk lean toward the two far-right parties.
It looks like the electorate accepts, or is resigned to, the prospect of a second election, with only 21% saying the parties should try at any cost to form a coalition government and avoid another contest; another 37% want an effort toward a coalition to be made and, if not successful, new elections; and 34% want new elections the soonest possible.
Asked about the sort of government they want, 31% of the respondents prefer a single-party New Democracy government, while another 10% opt for an ND-led coalition government; 14% prefer a single-party SYRIZA government and another 16% a SYRIZA-led coalition; 15% prefer “other” combination and just 6% opt for a grand coalition including ND, SYRIZA and, possibly, other parties.
