Survey gives conservatives lead over SYRIZA in Euro polls

Opposition New Democracy has a 9-point lead over ruling SYRIZA in the upcoming European Parliament elections, according to a new public opinion poll published on Thursday.

Polling firm MRB, which conducted the survey for Star television, found that 30.1 percent of respondents said they would vote for the conservative opposition in May's elections, against 21.1 percent for the incumbent leftists.

Center-left Movement for Change and neo-Nazi Golden Dawn tied in third place at 6.2 percent each, with the Greek Communist Party (KKE) coming in fourth at 5.5 percent.

With regards to their preference in national elections, slated for October if not sooner, the survey found that 30.6 percent of respondents would vote for New Democracy and 22.5 percent for SYRIZA. This is an 8.1-point difference between the two parties, similar to that recorded by the same polling firm in December.

Asked who they think would make a better prime minister, 35.5 percent opted for conservative chief Kyriakos Mitsotakis and 26.6 percent favored Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.