Greek socialists widen lead over ruling conservatives before polls

Sep 8, 2009, 10:00 GMT

Athens - Greece's main opposition Socialist Party (PASOK) has widened its lead over the ruling conservatives ahead of general elections on October 4, according to polls published Tuesday.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, whose conservative government has been plagued by scandals and the worst rioting in decades, has said he is seeking a fresh political mandate to deal with the difficult years ahead for the fragile economy.

By announcing snap elections last week, Karamanlis officially launched a difficult, month-long election campaign where the ruling conservatives are trailing the main opposition by between 5.5 to 6.1 percentage points in polls.

The latest survey conducted by GPO on behalf of Mega Television showed that 32 per cent of those polled intended to vote for the socialists, compared to 26.5 per cent for the conservative New Democracy Party.

A second poll carried out by Metron Analysis for Ant 1 Television showed the socialists to have a 6.1 percentage point lead over the conservatives, with 35.7 per cent saying they would vote for the Socialists compared to 29.6 per cent for the conservatives.

The number of undecided voters was considerable, with nearly 20 per cent saying they had not yet decided which party to vote for on October 4, which were conducted nationwide on a sample of 1,000 people.

Despite the lead by the main opposition, the Socialists may not be in a position to gather enough votes to form an absolute majority in parliament. This would lead to either new elections or a new coalition government to be formed.

Speaking at the International Trade Fair in the northern port city of Thessaloniki over the weekend, the conservative leader promised that if he won his third mandate in almost six years he would freeze public sector pay and appointments and continue privatizing state companies in an effort to cut public debt.

'We face two very difficult years ahead, which will sharply hit tourism, shipping, trade and construction,' Karamanlis said.

'The country is in critical condition and difficult decisions must be made and this requires time,' he told journalists.

Greece, one of the euro zone's weakest economies, is sliding into recession this year.

Karamanlis sold off state companies such as Olympic Airlines and increased taxes to decrease the country's widening budget deficit.