Greek Politics
Rising contributions spark concern in key voter groups
Apart from turning a primary deficit into a surplus in what is expected to be a low-growth environment next year, the government is also facing another challenging balancing act as it will have raise social security contributions for the self-employed despite pledging lower levies for employers and employees.
Big two parties strengthen grip on voters, but dominance remains elusive
More polls conducted in the past week confirm the resurgence of Greece’s two main political parties at the expense of smaller players, as the effect of the surveillance scandal appears to have dissipated with the return to regular political business.
Cost-of-living, surveillance developments encourage ND to target majority in 2023
Following his numerous appearances in New York and the latest opinion polls showing that New Democracy has so far suffered minimal damage from the surveillance scandal, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is looking ahead to the upcoming election campaign with greater optimism and a growing sense that his party may be able to secure a parliamentary majority.
Opposition anger at constrained surveillance inquiry not yet reflected in public mood
The opposition parties are growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as the government’s attempts to obstruct any meaningful investigation into the surveillance scandal, which for the time being seems to be low down on the list of Greek voters’ priorities.
Policy pledges bolster top two parties as ND erases losses from surveillance affair
Soundings conducted in the wake of political leaders’ speeches at the Thessaloniki International Fair show governing New Democracy and main opposition SYRIZA both strengthened their positions, while support for third party PASOK has remained more or less static.
Surveillance scandal produces more damaging revelations for ND
Just as Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in New York for a series of high-level meetings before his address to the United Nations general assembly later this week, the prime minister’s administration was beset by further problems at home as the parliamentary inquiry into the surveillance scandal took a surprising, and potentially damaging, turn.
ND moves to discredit SYRIZA programme, muses over far-right alliance
Alexis Tsipras has been accused of making empty promises, as government figures react to the SYRIZA programme presented over the weekend. A row has erupted over the costing of the opposition’s pledges, as New Democracy warns that spending excesses under SYRIZA will bring a return to bailouts.
Tsipras hits back with own economic pledges, choice for voters to ponder
Alexis Tsipras responded to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) speech a week earlier by making his own policy pledges and presenting voters with a different political equation to consider ahead of next year’s general elections.
Govt unveils affordable housing scheme, but struggles to shunt wiretapping aside
Following Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s appearance in Thessaloniki over the weekend, when he set out a raft of policies aimed at tackling the cost-of-living crisis, the government has tried again to move the focus of the political debate back to its proposed measures even though the opposition remains focussed on delving deeper into the phonetapping scandal.
Androulakis positions PASOK as alternative to leading parties against phonetapping backdrop
PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis used his maiden speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Wednesday to hit out at both the ruling New Democracy party and its main rival SYRIZA, in an attempt to position the socialists as a distinct and realistic alternative to the two largest political forces.