Support for Greece’s Socialists has picked up under the party’s new leader, according to poll results published Sunday, which shows a dip in support for its key conservative rivals.
The poll, published in newspaper Kathimerini, showed that the Socialists, also known as Pasok, are seen gathering 15.5% of the vote in upcoming elections, up from 11% previously.
Pasok has seen a rise in popularity after former Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos took over the leadership of the party from former Prime Minister George Papandreou on March 18.
On the other hand, the poll, held March 22-26, showed that support for conservatives New Democracy dropped to 22.5%, versus 25% previously.
Greece is widely expected to go to the polls at the end of April or start of May though no official date has yet to be set.
Despite the mixed bag of results for the country’s two largest parties, which back the current interim government, the latest figures show they now have enough support to jointly form a parliamentary majority.
By jointly securing 38% of the vote, it would allow them to maintain a majority of 154-155 seats in Greece’s 300-member parliament, according to Kathimerini. They currently hold 197 seats between them.
The poll also showed that a total of eight political parties would pass the minimum 3% threshold needed to enter Parliament.
Newly formed Independent Greeks garners 8.5% of the vote, up from 6.5% previously, while the Communist Party of Greece and the Coalition of the Radicaly Left (Syriza) also saw a rise in their popularity levels to 12% and 12.5% respectively. The remaining parties that would enter parliament are Democratic left, neo-Nazi Golden Dawn and the Ecologist Greens.
(source: Dow Jones)
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