(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Greece’s two main political parties are virtually tied, according to a poll by Metron Analysis published in To Pontiki. 27.6 per cent of respondents would support the governing New Democracy (ND) in the next legislative election, down seven points since November.

The opposition Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) is a close second with 26.1 per cent, followed by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYR) with 7.8 per cent, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 7.3 per cent, the People’s Orthodox Alarm (LAOS) with 4.1 per cent, and the Ecologist Greens (OP) with 1.6 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 Jan. 23, during a historic visit to Turkey, Karamanlis talked about the urgency of normalizing relations between the two countries, saying, "We have a lot to gain by moving ahead together. We have even more to lose by following the path of tension and enmity." Karamanlis, who is the first Greek prime minister to visit Turkey in 50 years, also reiterated his country’s support for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union (EU).

Polling Data

What party would you support in the next parliamentary election?

Source: Metron Analysis / To Pontiki
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,002 Greek adults, conducted from Jan. 16 to Jan. 20, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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