New Democracy party fielding an 8-percentage-point lead over main opposition SYRIZA party

The latest opinion poll results, presented on a prime-time newscast on Tuesday evening, show ruling New Democracy (ND) party fielding an 8-percentage-point lead over main opposition SYRIZA party.

The results are derived from a poll conducted by the Marc firm and presented by an Athens-based channel.

Specifically, conservative ND is preferred by 32 percent of respondents of the specific poll, against 24 percent favoring leftist SYRIZA.

The only other party given a double-digit figure is PASOK-KINAL, a socialist/social democrat grouping, with 11.3 percent. Another three lesser parties currently represented in Parliament are also shown as exceeding 3 percent – the figure needed to re-enter the legislature, as a percentage of valid votes in a general election.

In terms of the popularity of political party leaders, incumbent PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis leads with 47.8 percent of favorable answers by respondent, followed by PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis with 34.3 percent. The latter result means that former prime minister and current SYRIZA president Alexis Tsipras comes in third with 33.7 percent.

The most urgent problem cited by respondents is heightened cost-of-living expenses, with 83 percent. Concerns over foreign policy issues is second, with 43.4 percent, followed by crime/violence (39.4 percent); the war in Ukraine (24.9 percent); a wiretapping furor (16.1 percent) and the problem of illegal migration (14.3 percent).