Of Antonis Angeletou

By observing the way the political leaders move, as well as their statements, their goals become more and more clear as the polls approach.

They talk to the people, rally the citizens who preferred them May 21st and they try either to reach out to the undecided or to “steal” voters who did not support them and headed elsewhere.

For her New Democracy achieving strong self-reliance goes hand in hand with a percentage that exceeds 40%, which also gives the upper bonus of 50 seats. The “blue faction” raised its expectations after the result of the first ballot and now sees nothing less than a strong majority of more than 160 MPs. He managed to win 158 seats in 2019 with Kyriakos Mitsotakis raising the bar a lot. This is why the former prime minister does not hesitate to raise the dilemma of the third ballot box.

The difference with him SYRIZA is another motivation, as the absolute dominance was consolidated with the 20 points he left behind his main rival. Applauding the four-year government policy in an emphatic way put SYRIZA in “adventures”. The “enemy” of New Democracy is relaxation, complacency and summer sunbeds. And the main reason that no executive in Piraeus takes anything for granted is that about 20% of those who voted on May 21st decided which party they will support literally inside the electoral window.

For SYRIZA, the facts are completely different. It had been used since June 2012 to hover close to the 30% zone. It had established itself as a party of power and the “cuff” of the previous elections changed the facts and the entire political scene. Any worse result on June 25 will mean developments inside Koumoundourou. And given that there are municipal-regional elections in October, the official opposition is looking for calm. It would be “relieving” for SYRIZA to register a “correction” in the next polls. To increase the “scissors” from PASOK by showing that the hegemony in the space of the center-left is not disputed and at the same time to reduce the chaotic difference from the New Democracy. The worst percentage of SYRIZA since the jump of its percentages and after was recorded in May 2019 in the European elections, with 23.75%.

PASOK is constantly rising after the historic low recorded in January 2015 (4.68%).

As a Democratic Alliance, it rose to 6.3% in September of the same year with the late Fofi Gennimata. It recorded 8.1% in 2019 and 11.47% in the last ballot.

The official position of the opposition is the goal, although they know that this is difficult to achieve in two weeks or so. The difference between them is now single digits and they do not wish to lose this by investing in further consolidation.

Anything more that Nikos Androulakis “gathers” in votes will be welcomed by Harilaou Trikoupis at a time when the conflict with SYRIZA seems to be flaring up again.

The most optimistic are even talking about two units.

Alexis Tsipras speaking to SKAI and Sia Kosionis accused PASOK of wanting to “become SYRIZA in place of SYRIZA” and that since 2012 it has been a party – supplement of New Democracy.

PASOK responded: “Even though two weeks have passed since the May 21 ballot, Alexis Tsipras insists on not acknowledging his share of responsibility for the increase in New Democracy’s percentages and the citizens’ disapproval of his unarmed and unreliable opposition SYRIZA. He does not alienate us as he never made his self-criticism about the defeat by New Democracy in 2019, when the map was painted blue in the national elections, the European elections and the regional elections”.