(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A significant number of people in Greece want the government to call an early election, according to a poll by RASS. 41.1 per cent of respondents think a new legislative ballot should take place.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A significant number of people in Greece want the government to call an early election, according to a poll by RASS. 41.1 per cent of respondents think a new legislative ballot should take place.
However, 55.3 per cent think the current government should be allowed to finish its term in power.
In the March 2004 election, Kostas Karamanlis led the New Democracy (ND) party to victory, securing 165 seats in the Greek Parliament. The Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) had administered the government since January 1996. Current PASOK leader George Papandreou served as foreign minister under Kostas Simitis.
Greek voters renewed their Parliament in September 2007. Final results gave Karamanlis a second term in office, with 41.84 cent of the vote and 152 seats in the 300-member legislature. PASOK finished second, with 38.10 per cent and 102 lawmakers. In November, Papandreou defeated Evangelos Venizelos and Kostas Skandalidis in a special PASOK leadership ballot.
On Jun. 29, an unnamed government spokesman assured that Karamanlis has no intention of calling a snap election, saying, "We are interested on one thing only: to stay focused, as we are, on our work, to materialize our pledges, and implement the reforms necessary for the country."
Polling Data
Which of these options would you prefer?
|
Allowing the government to continue
|
55.3%
|
|
Holding a new parliamentary election
|
41.1%
|
|
Not sure
|
3.6%
|
Source: RASS
Methodology: Interviews with 2,001 Greek adults, conducted from Jun. 22 to Jun. 26, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
