[lbo-talk] More polls show Syriza losing ground to New Democracy

[Marv Gandall]

More evidence that the pro-austerity Syriza leadership may have reason for worry after confidently calling a snap election two weeks ago. Several polls now indicate that Syriza’s support is slipping while that of its chief rival, the conservative New Democracy party, has gone up. One survey showed the parties in a statistical dead heat. Another showed more than 60% of respondents felt Tsipras’ Syriza government had pursued the wrong negotiating strategy. An even larger percentage of Greeks purportedly want the country to remain in the euro even if it means more austerity. 

This could point to a return to government of New Democracy in defiance of early predictions of a sweeping Syriza victory. After all, as the shopworn old saying has it, “why settle for an imitation if you can have the real thing?” The large pool of undecided voters is further indication of the confused state of the Greek electorate following Tsipras’ abandonment of his party’s anti-austerity program and refusal to be bound by the July referendum result. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/28/us-eurozone-greece-poll-idUSKCN0QX2BM20150828?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews