COSTIS P. PAPADIOCHOS

It’s been less than three months since ruling New Democracy confirmed its electoral triumph in May in a second national election, on June 25, that saw it win well over double the share of the vote that second-placed SYRIZA received – 40.56% to 17.83%.

With the election race entering the final stretch, political party staff have turned their attention to the race for the so-called new undecided voters – which, according to the latest polls, amount to roughly 7%-8% of the total – and to those who may abstain altogether.

For New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, winning a bare majority of seats in the 300-member Parliament would be no victory at all.

Given that a third election is a distinct possibility in the case that frontrunner New Democracy decreases its electoral percentage and a seven-party Parliament emerges, the polls on June 25 have added significance.

On the final stretch to the May 21 election, the two largest parties – ruling conservative New Democracy and leftist opposition SYRIZA – are concerned about the gap between them and the votes of the smaller parties vying to reach the magical 3% threshold that will allow them to be represented in Parliament.

As the election period enters the final stretch, the parties are considering alternative scenarios for the outcome of the May 21 ballot and their handling of the crucial phase of the exploratory mandates that will follow, with ruling conservative New Democracy maintaining a clear poll lead over leftist SYRIZA and center-left PASOK moving into double-digit percentages. 

As the election campaign heats up, political parties are poring over opinion polls, those made public and those privately commissioned, to calibrate their tactics.