Greek voters a step ahead of politicians
The results of the public survey that were published in Kathimerini’s Sunday edition as well as the opinion polls recently conducted by the country’s major political parties both agree that Greek society is one step ahead of the political elite. Insecurity among citizens is running high, the survey has found. Nevertheless, Greek voters feel that the country cannot afford a return to a protectionist, statist model. According to Kathimerini’s poll, the vast majority of the country’s voters are demanding that the ruling New Democracy party take steps to push through its much-vaunted structural reform program and give incentives that will bolster better productivity as well as private initiative. In other words, voters urge the government to do what it takes to boost Greece’s economy. At the same time, however, those questioned said that they expect to see a carefully structured strategy and practical measures that will help to change their daily lives for the better. After all, these are the exact goals that were previously pledged by the conservative administration of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. The question, of course, is whether the New Democracy administration really has any comprehensive blueprint as well as the qualified managers to realize these objectives. Regrettably, politicians in both mainstream parties, New Democracy and PASOK, are mostly driven by politically expedient objectives and tend to shy away from major breakthroughs for fear of the political costs. There seems little doubt that the party that dares to break this vicious cycle will start along the path toward enduring political hegemony.
