(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) has gained public support in Greece, according to a poll by GPO released by Mega. 29.2 per cent of respondents would vote for the country’s main opposition party in the next general election, up four points since August.

The governing New Democracy (ND) is slightly behind with 28 per cent, followed by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYR) with 11.9 per cent, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with seven per cent, and the People’s Orthodox Alarm (LAOS) with 5.4 per cent.

In the March 2004 election, Kostas Karamanlis led the ND to victory, securing 165 seats in the Greek Parliament. 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 Oct. 2, Karamanlis said his administration would continue to introduce structural economic reforms—including the privatization of several companies—despite fierce criticism and union protests against the measures, saying, "These reforms will continue, despite the opposition of those with vested interests who wallowed for decades in stagnation. (...) We have been elected to change things, and this is what we will do."

Polling Data

What party would you support in Greece’s next general election?

Source: GPO / Mega
Methodology: Interviews to 1,635 Greek adults, conducted in September 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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