New poll gives ND 24-point lead over ruling SYRIZA

A new poll published Tuesday suggested that the government’s popularity is drying up, as it gave opposition New Democracy a 24-point lead over ruling SYRIZA.

In the phone poll conducted by Public Issue between October 20 and 27, 42 percent of people surveyed said they would vote for the conservatives in the event of a general election as opposed to 18 percent backing the leftist party.

Democratic Alignment and the extreme-right Golden Dawn were level in third place on 8 percent, ahead of the Communist party (KKE) on 7.5 percent.

Potami, the Union of Centrists and Independent Greeks (ANEL) all polled near the 3 percent threshold to enter Parliament, while former speaker Zoe Constantopoulou’s Sailing for Freedom party garnered 2.5 percent.

Thirty percent of those surveyed didn’t reveal who they intend to vote for.

Forty-two percent said ND leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis was best suited to be prime minister while 21 percent said the same for incumbent Alexis Tsipras, a drop of 2 points compared to a poll conducted by the same company in September on behalf of the pro-government Avgi newspaper.

In early October, the paper announced it was severing ties with Public Issue after its September poll showed similar disheartening results for the governing party.