FILE – Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis during plenary discussions for the revision of the constitution, Nov. 14, 2018. (Photo by Eurokinissi/Yorgos Kontarinis)
EU, Greece Showdowns: New Democracy Lead Over SYRIZA 7 Percent
ATHENS – Just ahead of May 26 elections for Greek municipalities and the European Parliament, a poll gave the major opposition New Democracy a 7-percent lead over candidates of the ruling Radical Left SYRIZA.
The Conservatives have seen their lead, however, cut in half after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras went on a rampage of handouts and giveaways in a frantic bid to reverse some of the tough austerity measures he imposed, trying to woo back voters.
The latest poll, by Pulse for SKAI TV, gave New Democracy a 31-24 percent lead with the Conservatives leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, asking for a mandate ahead of general elections and saying Tsipras should otherwise step down if defeated in the May 26 battleground.
The number of undecided voters has fallen to 7.5 percent, showing both sides solidifying their bases and Tsipras trying to prevent further erosion after reneging on anti-austerity promises for four years.
In third – barely – is the center-left Movement for Change (KINAL) that is led by former leaders of the now defunct PASOK Socialists who went under after backing austerity measures antithetical to alleged principles while serving New Democracy in a coalition.
KINAL had 7 percent, just ahead of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, all of whose 15 lawmakers and dozens of members are in the fourth year of a trial on charges of running a criminal gang and one accused of the murder of anti-Fascist hip-hop artist Pavlos Fyssas in 2013.
The KKE Communists were in their usual position, fifth, at 5.5 percent, barely unchanged for decades, and the only other party above the 3 percent threshold needed to have candidates elected.
On the outs are two other parties now in the Greek Parliament, the Union of Centrists and Tsipras’ former coalition partner, the tiny, pro-austerity, jingoistic Independent Greeks (ANEL) of ex-defense chief Panos Kammenos.
He took his party out of the government after Tsipras gave away the name of the ancient Greek province of Macedonia to the newly-renamed North Macedonia, although two-thirds of Greeks were opposed. ANEL registered at 1.6 percent.
Under 3 percent as well were the pro-Russia super-religious- ultranationalist Greek Solution, at 2.1 percent, To Potami – which left KINAL after joining it – at 1.7 percent, and the MeRA25 of former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, with only 1.6 percent.
The survey, which showed 7.5 percent to be undecided was conducted by phone on May 21-22 and used a sample of 1,208 people with a right to vote this year.