Poll finds corruption immovable
The public sector will remain corrupt no matter which party is in power, according to a Saturday newspaper poll which pointed to town planning authorities, the police, hospitals and tax officials as the worst hotbeds of venality. The survey, carried out between January 29-31 by V-PRC in Greece’s five biggest cities on behalf of Imerissia daily, found that, on average, 53.7 percent of respondents thought corruption would survive no matter what government tried to tackle it. Nearly 22 percent said opposition New Democracy could do the job, while 12.6 percent expressed confidence in the abilities of PASOK, which has ruled Greece from 1981-1989, and from 1993 to the present. Asked to define the extent of corruption among politicians, 49.2 percent said many politicians were corrupt, while 12.4 percent said all politicians were corrupt. First in order of perceived corruptness came town planning authorities, followed by the police, hospitals, tax offices, the state hiring system and the stock exchange. The Church came second to last, before state banks.
