<h4>Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party enjoys a seven-percentage-point lead over ruling SYRIZA party in the latest opinion poll result, which was published on Sunday by the weekly “Vima”.</h4>
Specifically, the center-right party was given 23.2 percent of respondents’ preference to leftist and previous anti-austerity SYRIZA’s 16.2 percent. The poll was conducted by the Kapa Research firm.
After extrapolating the results, especially a 27-percent figure for the “undecided” tally, ND reaches 31.8 percent to SYRIZA’s 22.2 percent.
A more pro-reform minded ND under Kyriakos Mitsotakis has consistently led SYRIZA in all mainstream opinion polls over the past few months by double-digit margins.
As with previous results of other similar polls, the ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) party came in third (6.6 percent), followed by a socialist PASOK-led grouping with 6.4 percent. The only other party given above 3 percent of respondents’ preferences is the Communist Party (KKE), with 6.1 percent.
To enter Greece’s Parliament a political party must exceed 3 percent of the total vote (excluding blank and void ballots) in a general election.
Asked which party they believe will come in first in any pending election – regardless of who they support – 61.5 percent of respondents picked New Democracy.
Leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ approval ratings also continued to slip, as he was favorably judged by 22.5 percent of respondents; Mitsotakis was at 30.5 percent.
Finally, asked about a recent decision at the Eurogroup regarding the Greek bailout program, 58.5 percent of those surveyed said it was negative; 32.5 percent said it was positive or probably positive.