More than half of Greeks have a positive view of the new prime minister, former European Central Bank Vice President Lucas Papademos, with only two in 10 expressing a negative opinion about him, according to a new poll published in Sunday’s Kathimerini.

A total of 55 percent of respondents welcomed Papademos’s appointment while 18 percent had a negative view, according to the poll carried out by Public Issue.

The survey also found that more than 70 percent of those questioned applauded the decision of the two main parties -- socialist PASOK and conservative New Democracy -- to move toward the formation of a unity government.

As regards Papademos’s potential for managing the country’s dire finances, 45 percent of respondents said they trusted him to do so, although 35 percent said they did not.

If snap polls were to be held now, neither of the two main parties would emerge with enough votes to form a majority government, according to the poll which found that 28.5 percent would vote for ND, 19.5 percent for PASOK and a surprisingly high 12 percent for the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), with the Communist Party (KKE) garnering 11 percent, right-wing LAOS 8.5 percent, the Democratic Left 7.5 percent and the Ecologist Greens 3.5 percent. The Public Issue poll found that the Democratic Alliance -- led by former conservative Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis -- would not enter Parliament, garnering just 2.5 percent of the vote, half a percentage point below the 3 percent minimum threshold required. Nearly three in 10 voters (or 27 percent) said they would not cast ballots.

The survey also asked respondents what they believed the country’s biggest problems were. Six in 10 (58 percent) said the economy, 34 percent cited rising unemployment, while 29 percent saw Greek politicians and the political system as the country’s biggest burden.