EUROZONE-GREECE/ELECTION POLL Greeks undecided over elections as poll shows Syriza maintaining narrow lead

Record ID: 141182

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/ELECTION POLL Greeks undecided over elections as poll shows Syriza maintaining narrow lead
  • Date: 12th September 2015
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 12, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN SYNTAGMA SQUARE / PARLIAMENT IN BACKGROUND PEOPLE WALKING IN SYNTAGMA SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT, MARIA, SAYING: "I don't know whether I will cast a vote, even though I live close to where I am voting. I don't know. I'm thinking about it. Maybe I will and maybe I won't. Because, let's say I do vote, will it make a difference?" (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) TEACHER, MARIA, SAYING: "People will go to vote. They will make a last-minute decision. I, myself, will make a last-minute decision. I haven't decided yet." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) TEACHER, THEODOSIS VALARTAS, SAYING: "Three elections in eight months (including the referendum) is way too much. But what else could be done considering Syriza lost its majority together with the junior coalition, the Independent Greeks? It was hard." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) NURSE, KOSTIS KARDALIAS, SAYING: "We will certainly have a coalition government, as happens in the rest of Europe and the EU, because there have to be negotiations on certain aspects of the bailout programme, and because (the parties) must eventually agree on certain issues." VARIOUS OF MAN LOOKING AT NEWSPAPERS AT KIOSK NEWSPAPERS KATHIMERINI NEWSPAPER FRONT PAGE READING (Greek): "NECK-AND-NECK RACE AMIDST VOTE POLARISATION" NEWSPAPERS THE EDITORS' NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FRONT PAGE READING (Greek): "THOSE WHO DETERMINE THE FINAL OUTCOME / UNDECIDED: WHO ARE THEY AND WHAT IS THEIR REASONING?" NEWSPAPERS ETHNOS FRONT PAGE READING (Greek): "ULTIMATE BATTLE BETWEEN SYRIZA AND NEW DEMOCRACY" ATHENS, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 11, 2015) (REUTERS) VICE PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC FOUNDATION FOR EUROPEAN AND FOREIGN POLICY, THANOS VEREMIS, SEATED IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) VICE PRESIDENT OF HELLENIC FOUNDATION FOR EUROPEAN AND FOREIGN POLICY, THANOS VEREMIS, SAYING: "Now, these elections could have been avoided normally, because most of the parties in parliament, with the exception of maybe one or two, would agree in upholding the agreement with the European Union."
  • Embargoed: 27th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2JTZO4R43ALGIXS8T5VQNHKAZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Greeks expressed uncertainty on Saturday (September 12) over the imminent national elections, as yet another poll showed no clear trend in favour of either Syriza or the New Democracy Party.
    A poll conducted by Macedonia University for SKAI TV and published on Friday (September 11) night showed left-wing Syriza clinging on to a narrow lead over New Democracy, with Syriza set to get 28.5 percent of the vote while the conservative New Democracy party was projected to get 27.5 percent.
    The poll also indicated that many Greeks were unimpressed by the appearance of party leaders in a televised debate on Wednesday (September 9), with 49.5 percent of those asked 'who made the best appearance in the debate?' answering 'nobody.'
    Maria, a sixty-year-old homemaker from Athens said she thought most Greeks wouldn't bother voting.
    "I don't know whether I will cast a vote, even though I live close to where I am voting. I don't know. I'm thinking about it. Maybe I will and maybe I won't. Because, let's say I do vote, will it make a difference?" she said.
    However, sixty-nine-year-old Maria said she thought people would take part in the election.
    "People will go to vote. They will make a last-minute decision. I, myself, will make a last-minute decision. I haven't decided yet," she said.
    Projections indicate that the coming elections will most likely result in a coalition government.
    "We will certainly have a coalition government, as happens in the rest of Europe and the EU, because there have to be negotiations on certain aspects of the bailout programme, and because (the parties) must eventually agree on certain issues," said nurse Kostis Kardalias.
    Greek newspaper front pages carried stories on the neck-and-neck status of the election race, with daily The Editors' Newspaper saying that those yet undecided on their vote would determine the final outcome.
    Many believe the upcoming elections should not be taking place at all.
    "Now, these elections could have been avoided normally, because most of the parties in parliament, with the exception of maybe one or two, would agree in upholding the agreement with the European Union," said Thanos Veremis, an analyst for the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy think-tank.
    Pollsters believe a second TV head-to-head debate on Monday (September 14) between the leader of the Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras, and the leader of New Democracy party, Vangelis Meimarakis, may influence a significant bloc of undecided voters.
    Syriza forced the election last month when Tsipras resigned as prime minister, hoping to end a party rebellion over Greece's new bailout deal and trade in on his then greater popularity by returning to power with a clear majority.
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