Galery

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The latest poll, conducted by the University of Macedonia and commissioned by SKAI TV, shows a levelling between New Democracy and SYRIZA as well as between Evangelos Meimarakis and Alexis Tsipras.

One of the important conclusions of the study is that public opinion supports the creation of a broad coalition government. 45% of respondents would like to see a government of national unity led by a consensus-based prime minister. 19.5% prefer a government where a major role is played by SYRIZA and Alexis Tsipras is PM, while 14.5% want a government led by New Democracy with Evangelos Meimarakis as PM. The majority of SYRIZA voters (69%) prefer the party, and Tsipras respectively, to form a government, while 23% want a national unity government. New Democracy voters have a somewhat different approach. 52% of them want the party to lead the government, while 46% prefer a government of national unity.

Voters' preferences are aligned. The two big parties get 27% each. New Democracy has increased its percentage with five points from the 22% it got in the latest poll held 22-27 August. SYRIZA has also increased its share, but only by two points, from the 25% it got in late August. Third comes Golden Dawn with 6.5% (it took 5.5% last week). Fourth comes the Communist Party with a steady 6% followed by Potami with a slight slippage to 5.5% (from 6%). PASOK and the Union of centrists are flush with 4.5% – the same as last week. Popular Unity has slimmed down somewhat to 4% (from 5%), and the Independent Greeks won't make it to parliament as they only have 1.5% (from 2% last week).

The leaders of the two major parties receive the same approval of 27.5%. Third came Stavros Theodorakis with 24% followed by Fofi Gennimata with 18.5%, Dimitris Kotsoubas with 15%, Panos Kamenos with 12%, Panagiotis Lafazanis with 10% and Nikos Michaloliakos with 6%.

The prevailing opinion is that the elections will in practice be a derby with equal players, as the current polls show. Which is why the white ballots will play a crucial role, and the abstaining voters' percentage is fairly important as well. The majority of SYRIZA voters are disappointed by the party's turn to realism and its voting for the memorandum. A similar trend exists among Independent Greeks' voters (5.5%). There are 8.5% of New Democracy voters who prefer to abstain. From the rest who said they would abstain in these elections, 2.5% voted for Potami at the previous ones, 1.5% voted for Golden Dawn and PASOK each, and 1% - for the Communist Party. 39% of voters who did not vote in the January elections, have said they would do the same on 20 September.