{"id":2499,"date":"2026-04-25T08:48:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=2499"},"modified":"2026-04-25T08:48:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:48:00","slug":"the-four-cases-that-the-government-paid-in-the-polls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=2499","title":{"rendered":"The four cases that the government &#8220;paid&#8221; in the polls"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"158\" data-end=\"644\"> Two studies have already been published after Easter and there will be many more in succession because we are probably entering a period of <strong data-start=\"280\" data-end=\"301\">major events<\/strong>, the emergence of <strong data-start=\"313\" data-end=\"330\">new parties<\/strong> and intense <strong data-start=\"343\" data-end=\"367\">political processes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-end=\"644\" data-start=\"158\">So let&#8217;s not worry those who wondered why polls aren&#8217;t coming out, suggesting that something is hidden and probably a complete <strong data-start=\"501\" data-end=\"530\">collapse of government<\/strong>. I&#8217;m sure quite a few of them will be talking about the many polls going on in Greece in a while. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"646\" data-end=\"1540\">But let&#8217;s look at what&#8217;s emerged so far. In the end <strong data-start=\"695\" data-end=\"718\">it&#8217;s a treasure trove<\/strong>. The N.D.. drops 3% in one survey and 1.5% in the other, of course. You don&#8217;t call it a negligible or small drop and it constitutes a <strong data-start=\"843\" data-end=\"854\">loss<\/strong> and should concern the <strong data-start=\"888\" data-end=\"901\">government<\/strong> about how to proceed, but you don&#8217;t call it a <strong data-start=\"960\" data-end=\"972\">knockout<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-end=\"1540\" data-start=\"646\">Apparently the new <strong data-start=\"991\" data-end=\"1006\">documents<\/strong>, the inclusion of the names of government <strong data-start=\"1048\" data-end=\"1061\">members of parliament<\/strong> and the initiatives of the <strong data-start=\"1086\" data-end=\"1104\">opposition<\/strong> played their part. However, the issue that arose for Mr Lazaridis also brought disproportionate <strong data-start=\"1212\" data-end=\"1221\">corruption<\/strong>. The <strong data-start=\"1226\" data-end=\"1239\">handlings<\/strong> played a role in that. What is the result: The new government has been embarrassed, has suffered damage of the order we are reporting (we will of course look at the polling totals), stumbling more or less the moment it got away. In the March polls it stood at <strong data-start=\"1524\" data-end=\"1537\">31.5%-33%<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1542\" data-end=\"2152\">The question is therefore whether it can soon make up for any <strong data-start=\"1607\" data-end=\"1616\">corruption<\/strong> and move on. But let&#8217;s look at what has happened in recent years with key moments when the government appeared to be losing steam. We have seen roughly the same phenomenon three times in recent years. <\/p>\n<p data-end=\"2152\" data-start=\"1542\">The first was with <strong data-start=\"1840\" data-end=\"1857\">same-sex marriage<\/strong>, the second was with last year&#8217;s <strong data-start=\"1884\" data-end=\"1913\">Tempi rallies<\/strong> and the third was with the first <strong data-start=\"1958\" data-end=\"1969\">FOPECEP<\/strong>. In all three of these cases we had smaller or larger losses and then picked up the damage in two or three months. We will see this time if the same applies again. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2154\" data-end=\"2683\">What is certain is that the SD has <strong data-start=\"2186\" data-end=\"2199\">stocks<\/strong> and can pull it off. In this direction, it is important that those who each time &#8220;left&#8221; did not go elsewhere, but were transferred to the so-called <strong data-start=\"2349\" data-end=\"2366\">&#8220;grey zone&#8221;<\/strong>. It was evident in short the inability of some opposition party to be able to act as a <strong data-start=\"2468\" data-end=\"2477\">polis<\/strong> for those of the 2023 New Dem voters who more occasionally or more permanently express <strong data-start=\"2564\" data-end=\"2579\">dissatisfaction<\/strong>. This makes it easier for ND to <strong data-start=\"2609\" data-end=\"2626\">re-engage<\/strong> such forces again, with appropriate initiatives. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2685\" data-end=\"2816\">The New Democracy can <strong data-start=\"2701\" data-end=\"2721\">reconvince<\/strong> the disaffected of this phase. But nothing is also self-evident in <strong data-start=\"2801\" data-end=\"2813\">Politics<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2818\" data-end=\"2865\"> <b>But the problem lies in the following points:<\/b> <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2867\" data-end=\"3167\"> Firstly that we are now in the <strong data-start=\"2903\" data-end=\"2949\">final straight to the General Election<\/strong> and everything is costly if not dealt with much more quickly. And if one takes into account that <strong data-start=\"3044\" data-end=\"3058\">toxicity<\/strong> will rise and opposition attacks will increase, even small back and forths will be a problem. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3169\" data-end=\"3577\"> Second, that whenever a crisis of any magnitude occurs a backlog of <strong data-start=\"3266\" data-end=\"3284\">reflexes<\/strong> emerges, mistakes are easily made in <strong data-start=\"3308\" data-end=\"3321\">management<\/strong> and a lack of timely and effective <strong data-start=\"3377\" data-end=\"3421\">political and communication management<\/strong> is highlighted. The case of Mr Lazaridis was typical. It was an issue that should and could have been resolved in a matter of hours, not a week. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3579\" data-end=\"3803\"> Third, that a caution is needed in the following. If a segment of New Democrat voters are more easily polling to &#8220;walk away&#8221; on a problem, there may come a time when they will consider not coming back, to take <strong data-start=\"3788\" data-end=\"3800\">a divorce<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3805\" data-end=\"4010\">Fourth, that while when the N.D. rises, a host of government and political figures enter the picture of success in one way or another, when harder times come, some <strong data-start=\"3990\" data-end=\"4007\">disappear<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4012\" data-end=\"4299\">In short, the Southwest can move on, make up for any losses this term, but it certainly needs to see the <strong data-start=\"4132\" data-end=\"4143\">&#8220;team&#8221;<\/strong>. That is, how to create an army determined not only to be first, which is discounted, but to get the highest possible <strong data-start=\"4285\" data-end=\"4296\">percentage<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4301\" data-end=\"5652\">But let&#8217;s summarize the political picture, always with the data from two surveys we know the results of. New Dems come in with <strong data-start=\"4431\" data-end=\"4465\">25.5%-25.7% in voting intent<\/strong> which points to a <strong data-start=\"4488\" data-end=\"4523\">30.2%-30.6% in vote estimate<\/strong> with a <strong data-start=\"4535\" data-end=\"4557\">12% difference.2%<\/strong> from PASOK<\/strong> which is second with some rise and is at <strong data-start=\"4610\" data-end=\"4619\">13.5%<\/strong> in the vote intention (<strong data-start=\"4639\" data-end=\"4674\">15.6%-15.9% in the vote estimate<\/strong>). From there it&#8217;s <strong data-start=\"4698\" data-end=\"4706\">chaos<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-end=\"5652\" data-start=\"4301\">The opposition therefore, all the parties that make up the opposition more or less open their own aisles due to their weakness to <strong data-start=\"4840\" data-end=\"4861\">Maria Karustianou<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"4870\" data-end=\"4883\">A. Tsipras<\/strong>. Right now, the plates on which the current <strong data-start=\"4963\" data-end=\"4978\">correlations<\/strong> are moving, and the emergence of the two new parties may (depending on the ability they show) bring a <strong data-start=\"5083\" data-end=\"5102\">political earthquake<\/strong> that will hit the current opposition. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4301\" data-end=\"5652\">Pr. Prime Minister, absorbing SYRIZA, New Left and sidelining PASOK but also part of Pleisi Eleftherias and at the same time on the other side Maria Karustianou pushing Pleisi Eleftherias, Hellenic Solution, Voice of Reason, right and left <strong data-start=\"5400\" data-end=\"5428\">opposition audiences<\/strong>. In this scenario, ND will pass <strong data-start=\"5466\" data-end=\"5477\">alive<\/strong> with minimal losses, but the Opposition space will have <strong data-start=\"5541\" data-end=\"5557\">transformed<\/strong>. So we&#8217;re talking about the possibility of <strong data-start=\"5592\" data-end=\"5620\">births for the government<\/strong> because of this factor as well. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5654\" data-end=\"6735\">Of course let&#8217;s wait. Over the next few days we&#8217;ll see the findings from several different surveys and we&#8217;ll have a <strong data-start=\"5769\" data-end=\"5798\">serious polling picture<\/strong>. However, this is the moment to state the obvious: With <strong data-start=\"5864\" data-end=\"5875\">scenarios<\/strong> and repetition of the same old same old, reality does not change. <\/p>\n<p data-end=\"6735\" data-start=\"5654\">And along with that, that pure <strong data-start=\"5975\" data-end=\"5992\">opposition<\/strong> and bickering over who gets to call Mitsotakis more &#8220;mafioso&#8221;, more corrupt or more Orban, even if it rallies more of the already rallied around a party, doesn&#8217;t lead to much of a result. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5654\" data-end=\"6735\">If any existing or nascent party wants to stand out and become a real force for claiming <strong data-start=\"6307\" data-end=\"6319\">power<\/strong> it has to do two simple things: Try to give <strong data-start=\"6379\" data-end=\"6389\">hope<\/strong> for a better future and say what it wants to do, how it will do it and with whom it will do it. The <strong data-start=\"6489\" data-end=\"6503\">morality<\/strong> and the belief that if you keep raising the stakes you will go further and stronger are just <strong data-start=\"6591\" data-end=\"6608\">illusions<\/strong>. Otherwise it&#8217;s as if the current Opposition is <strong data-start=\"6660\" data-end=\"6680\">self-entrenching<\/strong> and giving room for <strong data-start=\"6703\" data-end=\"6732\">attacking the government<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6737\" data-end=\"6752\">Let&#8217;s see&#8230;<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"> Republished from todaypress.gr <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\n    Two surveys have already been published after Easter and there are many more to come because we are probably entering a period of great events, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}