The country’s two main opposition parties, PASOK and ELAS, are increasingly focused on securing second place in the upcoming election as opinion polls continue to show a substantial lead for the ruling New Democracy party.
PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis and ELAS leader Alexis Tsipras have both said their goal is to win the election. Androulakis has argued that political change requires a PASOK victory, “even by one vote,” while Tsipras said on Thursday that he would fight to make his party the largest force in the first round of voting and expressed confidence that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis would lose in a subsequent ballot.
Polls, however, suggest that overtaking New Democracy remains difficult. In the latest Pulse survey for Skai, New Democracy led voting intention with 25.5%, followed by ELAS at 13.5% and PASOK at 10%. Against that backdrop, the contest for second place has taken on heightened importance.
The party that finishes second would be positioned to play the leading role in efforts to form a progressive pole opposing New Democracy ahead of a possible repeat election. For both parties, failure to secure second place could carry significant political consequences and reshape their standing within the opposition.
