new democracy

The first exit poll results presented by the country’s most popular broadcaster

Over the last many months, the political debate has focused on possible alliances for a viable coalition government to be formed after the next election, with parties facing gruelling decisions.

The strong reservations of the electorate appear to be pervasive in the political system right now, and that can be transcended only with clear answers and political realism.

Athanasiou, in a supposedly hypothetical example, said Muslim MPs in Greece’s Parliament could have their phones tapped on suspicion of espionage on Turkey’s behalf.

The youth, working people, businesses small and large, and pensioners constitute critical pools of voters. They are not electoral audiences that seek simplistic answers to complex issues.

Parties, when they maintain that their morals and demeanour are better than those the others, must demonstrate that this is not merely hollow rhetoric.

The contemporary dilemmas in the West are not so much right vs. left, but rather progress vs. conservatism, stability vs. adventurism, and liberalism vs. populism.

The Council of State said that establishing a University Police force 'does not violate the principles of academic freedom and the administrative autonomy of universities'.

SYRIZA, however, has made only a 0.6 percentage point gain, and ND has lost one percentage point since a March Economic Barometer survey conducted by the same company..

Ta Nea has repeatedly underlined the need for decisive action to root out violence at Greek universities, which was a key plank in ruling New Democracy’s 2019 electoral platform.

The current major geopolitical and economic challenges have unfortunately once again brought populism to the fore in many Western societies.

When PM as leader of the top party [SYRIZA has long trailed behind ND in all polls] raises the prospect of a coalition government, other party leaders cannot dodge the issue and turn a blind eye to new realities.

While opposition parties are calling for a hike in social spending, the government is signalling that support offered to households and businesses to weather the pandemic has nearly exhausted its fiscal space.

As long as SYRIZA continues to appeal mainly to the emotions of the public, both PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and centre-left KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis have an opportunity to gain ground among centrist voters.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras garners the lion’s share among those who declare themselves centre-left voters, with 43.5 percent, followed by Androulakis with 23.3 percent.

Although no serious person denies that Greece had allowed dysfunctions to fester for years, a mere glance at the course of public debt and of deficits demonstrates that they skyrocketed in the 2004-2009 period [on Karamanlis’ watch].

Citizens are not clients. They expect and demand policies and works that can effectively lead the country to a better future. Voters judge every government based on its effectiveness.

KINAL/PASOK must prove that it can stand firmly in the centre of the political spectrum, with a distinct Social Democratic platform, and without being crushed under the weight of pressures from New Democracy and SYRIZA.

Though the government has reached its lowest point yet in polls - not long after the botched handling of the recent snowstorm in Athens. New Democracy’s decline has not benefited SYRIZA, but KINAL/PASOK’s numbers have been rising.

Alexis Tsipras avoided referring to the real reason for a move that is viewed as sensationalist even by his loyal comrades, as the government is not in danger of renegade New Democracy MPs voting it down.

The PM did not have the necessary time to implement and advance his plans. Less than six months into his term, he was confronted with an unprecedented pandemic which took by surprise and rocked governments all over the world.

The election of Nikos Androulakis as the centre-left Movement for Change (KINAL) leader, and the rise of the party in the polls, indicates that the bipolar party system may be coming to an end.

The dysfunction and acrobatics of SYRIZA is due to the party’s being out of touch with the contemporary needs of Greek society. It often seems entrenched in skirmishes between closed groups and factions that are reminiscent of a bygone era.

The poll suggests that KINAL (Movement for Change) maintains the momentum that it achieved from the election of its new leader by over 200,000 members and friends of the party.

New Democracy garners 30.7 percent, SYRIZA 19.7 percent, and KINAL 13.5 percent. Additionally, the KKE Greek Communist Party garnered 4.1 percent, Elliniki Lysi 3.8 percent, MeRa25 2.7 and percent.