NEWS

Poll shows SYRIZA edge ahead, low faith in all parties

A new poll conducted by Public Issue on behalf of Skai and Kathimerini shows the main leftist opposition SYRIZA to have edged ahead of conservative New Democracy, which leads the ruling coalition, and SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras to have gained in popularity over Prime Minister Antonis Samaras though the latter is still considered the better choice for premier.

According to the survey, which was carried out between May 10 and 15 on a sample of 1,031 Greeks, 28 percent would vote for SYRIZA if elections were held now compared to 27.5 percent for ND. The ultra-right Golden Dawn would draw 11.5 percent of votes with 6.5 percent for PASOK, 6 percent for the rightwing anti-bailout Independent Greeks and 5.5 percent for Democratic Left.

Six in 10 of respondents said that early elections are “probably” not needed.

Asked what result they believed snap elections would bring, 45 percent said ND would prevail while 41 percent said it would be SYRIZA.

Asked which party is most capable of tackling the economic crisis, only 12 percent voted for SYRIZA, 25 percent for ND with 49 percent of respondents saying neither of them is capable.

Tsipras’ popularity, which has been very uneven over the past few months, has shot up again, according to the Public Issue poll which showed the young leftist overtaking Samaras with 44 percent of votes compared to 39 percent for Samaras.

Asked, however, who is the best choice for premier, 40 percent voted for Samaras and 30 percent for Tsipras while 28 percent said neither are suitable for the job. Similarly, 35 percent believed the tripartite coalition is in a better position to govern than SYRIZA which was regarded as a better choice by 24 percent of respondents. A total of 38 percent said they believed neither the coalition nor SYRIZA is a reliable choice.

The survey found that most Greeks’ opinion about the European Union has improved with 42 percent regarding it favorably, up from 31 percent in April. The euro has fallen in popularity however with just 53 percent favoring the single currency compared to a high of 70 percent in February.

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