By Antonis Anzoletou

In May 2019, 5,920,355 citizens came to the European elections. It is estimated that the municipal elections that were held at the same time played a role in the increase in participation. And in 2014 the polls were three times as many as in 2009 which were held alone and about 700,000 fewer voters turned out. The question that exists in the party headquarters is what will be done if the turnout is low and the voters who will come will barely reach five million. Does low attendance favor any power? The approach to the question is not simple, but multifactorial. Polls cannot approach the range of participation or abstention.

At a first reading New Democracy does not seem to be favored by the low turnout. For this, after all, Kyriakos Mitsotakis exorcises her in the speeches he makes. A part of the citizens who will choose not to vote may belong to the supporters of the “blue faction” who want to send a message of protest. The fresh popular mandate may allow them more easily and without many regrets to stay on their “sofa” on June 9, considering that if things move for the better – especially in terms of accuracy – they will return to their base. In the polls where the governments are not judged, the relaxed vote and the abstention are two options that have almost the same weight in the “electoral scale”.

The same, possibly even more, that SYRIZA is threatened by non-participation. Stefanos Kasselakis seems to be supported by younger people, but also by an audience that had no contact with the party in the previous period. Especially for those who argue that it is mostly an “apolitical” world, the question is whether their support will ultimately be practical. In the summer, the beaches are clearly more attractive than the polling stations. The president of SYRIZA yesterday repeated to ACTION 24 that everyone will be dazzled on election night by the result. PASOK’s voters, who are certainly older and more determined, seem to be more “concrete”. The “equation” should not leave the disappointment that has been recorded in Harilaou Trikoupi recently by those who believed that Nikos Androulakis would surpass Stefanos Kasselakis by bringing the Movement back into the governing orbit.

Abstention permanently does not affect the KKE. It has its own public following and is expected to be led to its very large majority at the polls. For the Greek solution, estimates indicate that its mobilization has already reached a very high level. As far as the New Left and Freedom Sailing are concerned, it is clear that they wish to reach out to disaffected voters who are very close to abstaining.