July 25, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Greece’s governing New Democracy (ND) party is ahead of all other political organizations in the country, according to a poll by VPRC published in Eleftherotypia. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for the ND in the next general election.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Greece’s governing New Democracy (ND) party is ahead of all other political organizations in the country, according to a poll by VPRC published in Eleftherotypia. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for the ND in the next general election.

The opposition Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) is second with 30.5 per cent, followed by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYR) with 16 per cent, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with eight per cent, the People’s Orthodox Alarm (LAOS) with five per cent, and the Ecologist Greens (OP) with 3.5 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 Jul. 21, co-founder of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) Radovan Karadzic—signalled as one of the architects of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in the 1990s—was arrested in a Serbian police raid after being a fugitive for nearly 13 years. Karadzic is accused of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.

PASOK spokesman George Papaconstantinou reacted to the news, declaring, "The arrest of Karadzic constitutes an important step in Serbia’s course towards the European Union and is a message of the will of Serbia’s new government to advance in its European course."

Polling Data

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

New Democracy (ND)	34.0%
Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK)	30.5%
Coalition of the Radical Left (SYR)	16.0%
Communist Party of Greece (KKE)	8.0%
People’s Orthodox Alarm (LAOS)	5.0%
Ecologist Greens (OP)	3.5%

Source: VPRC / Eleftherotypia
Methodology: Interviews with 1,260 Greek adults, conducted from Jul. 10 to Jul. 14, 2008. No margin of error was provided.