New poll gives ND 15.9% lead over opposition SYRIZA

A new public opinion poll published on Monday evening gives the ruling center-right New Democracy party a significant 15.9% lead over the leftist SYRIZA opposition, while respondents were also in favor of incumbent Kyriakos Mitsotakis for prime minister.

Carried out by Alco for Open TV ahead of the July 7 one-year anniversary of the center-right New Democracy government, the poll found that 49% of respondents believe Mitsotakis to be a more suitable prime minister – showing an increase from March’s 46% – against 21% who voiced support for his predecessor, Alexis Tsipras; 25% responded “neither of the two.”

In terms of how they would vote if elections were held now (based on expected valid votes), 39.9% opted for New Democracy and 24% for SYRIZA, while center-left Movement for Change came third with 6%, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) was in fourth place with 5.3%, nationalist Greek Solution got 3.2% and MeRA 25, the party founded by the former firebrand finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, gleaned 3%.

Unemployment ranked as the biggest problem Greece faces right now for 50% of respondents, with the coronavirus pandemic coming in second place at 18%. The migration crisis and strained relations with Turkey ranked as serious problems for just 9% and 8% of respondents, respectively.

Asked about recent revelations in the ongoing Novartis bribery investigation, 40% of respondents said that developments appear to indicate the presence of a judicial racket that operated during the previous SYRIZA-led administration, while 33% said they believe the affair to be an attempt by the present government to deflect the public’s attention from bigger social and economic problems.

The poll was conducted on 1,000 people in the period from June 29 to July 4.