SYRIZA trailing New Democracy by 8 percent, new poll finds

New Democracy was given an 8-point lead over ruling SYRIZA in a new public opinion poll conducted by Pulse for Skai TV and published on Thursday, with 35 percent of respondents saying they intend to vote for the center-right opposition against 27 percent supporting the incumbent leftists.

Center-left Movement for Change (KINAL) polled below the 10-percent mark in voters' intentions at 7 percent, followed by the Greek Communist Party (KKE) at 5.5 percent and neo-Nazi Golden Dawn at 4.5 percent. Former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis' Mera25 party and the nationalist populist Greek Solution hovered around the 3-percent threshold needed to enter Parliament, with the Union of Centrists and Sail of Freedom failing to pass muster at just 1.5 percent each.

Similarly, in the range of opinion category, the poll found that between 32.2 and 37.8 percent of respondents are in favor of New Democracy and 24.4-29.6 percent of SYRIZA. KINAL polled at between 5.5 and 8.5 percent, KKE at 4.1-6.9 percent and Golden Dawn at 3.2-5.8. Mera25 is seen earning 2.4-4.6 percent of the vote and Greek Solution between 1.9 and 4.1 percent.

In terms of the parties that may make it into Parliament, both scenarios foresee New Democracy gathering enough seats to form a government on its own with 156 in the 300-seat House if six parties make it through and 152 seats in a seven-party Parliament.

Asked whether they would like to see a coalition government, 33 percent of respondents said they would prefer ND to govern alone and just 12 percent supported an all-SYRIZA administration, while 15 percent would be happy with a coalition in which ND is the senior partner and 19 percent with SYRIZA taking the lead. Meanwhile, 13 percent of respondents expressed themselves in favor of a grand coalition between New Democracy, SYRIZA and other parties.

On the question of who is most likely to win, ND far outstripped the incumbents, with 71 percent of respondents seeing the conservatives winning next month's general elections and just 18 percent giving a victory to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' leftists.

Asked who would make a more suitable prime minister, 36 percent were in favor of ND's Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 28 percent of the current premier and 32 percent of neither.