Following a dip in opinion surveys, main opposition New Democracy has regained an over ten percentage point lead – 10.5 percentage points – over ruling SYRIZA, according to a poll ordered by SKAI television and conducted by Greece’s Pulse polling company.
The result, following a proportional distribution of the undecided vote to the parties, New Democracy garnered 33.5 percent compared to SYRIZA’s 25 percent.
The centre-left Movement for Change and extreme-right, nationalist Golden Dawn are tied for third place with seven percent of the vote, followed by the Greek Communist Party (KKE) with six percent.
The remaining parties, three of which currently are represented in parliament, did not pass the three percent threshold for entering the legislature.
SYRIZA’s junior coalition partner, the Independent Greeks, receives only 1.5 percent and the Centrists’ Union two percent, while the centre-right Potami party receives 1.5 percent. A newfangled ultra-right nationalist and ardently Russophile party, Elliniki Lysi (Greek Solution) garners two percent, while the extra-parliamentary ultra-left party ANTARSYA received one percent.
Though most observers and pundits believe that elections will likely be held sooner than later, 11.5 percent of those surveyed remain undecided.
Economic pessimism
Approximately half of those surveyed considered an economic crisis or economic problems in 2019 likely, while 63 percent believe economic affairs are moving in the wrong direction.
Over half (53 percent of those surveyed expect the general election to be held at the end of the government’s term and after the Greece-FYROM Prespa Agreement is ratified by the Greek Parliament.
When asked about the overall course of the country, 63 percent of respondents said things are moving definitely or more likely in the wrong direction, a four percentage point hike compared to the response to the same question in a poll conducted in November.
