The three major political parties have different goals and strategies for the next national election. The ruling conservative New Democracy is, barring a shocking upset, certain of first place and while it will likely not attain a result allowing it to clinch a parliamentary majority – it would need at least 37% of the vote – it wants to attain at least 30%, with the hope it will attract more voters in an all but certain second election.
The socialist PASOK and ELAS, or Greek Left Alliance, will fight it out for second place and a chance to present themselves as the only realistic alternative to New Democracy.
At the offices of the ruling party and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, they are focusing on around 10 multi-seat constituencies that, in their eyes, will determine the outcome. Most of these are in the capital area.
Among them are the country’s two largest constituencies – Athens South (the southern suburbs) and Athens North, with over 600,000 and over 550,000 voters, respectively. New Democracy’s goal is to stem losses, compared to its triumphant 2023 double win, as much as possible. Conservatives believe that a strong slate of candidates, led by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, will limit losses in Athens South; Athens North, containing many of the country’s richest suburbs, is a New Democracy stronghold, with opinion polls showing it obtaining nearly 40%, about 10 percentage points higher than its national average.
