New poll shows Greeks' conflicting desires

Page last updated at 03:27 GMT, Wednesday, May 30, 2012 - 08:27 EST

Share |

eKathimerini:

All photographs come from the aforementioned news sources, and full copyright ownership is maintained by those sources. This site uses the images purely for reference to the original source and educational purposes, and does not profit in any way from their use.

Most Greeks want to stay in the eurozone with a revision of the country's debt deal with internatonal creditors and would prefer a coalition government to emerge from June 17 general elections, according to an opinion poll by GPO for private television channel Mega.

A total of 80.9 percent of the 1,600 respondents polled said they want Greece to remain in the eurozone at any cost but 77.8 percent also want the so-called memorandum -- the country's debt agreement with creditors -- to be amended. A total of 66.4 percent want a coalition government to rule the country, according to the poll which put conservative New Democracy slightly ahead of the leftist SYRIZA which has rejected the memorandum.

According to the GPO survey, 23.4 percent of respondents said they plan to vote for ND compared to 22.1 percent for Syriza with socialist PASOK drawing 13.5 percent of the vote, the anti-bailout Independent Greeks garnering 7.4 percent, the Communist Party 5.9 percent, Democratic Left 5.1 percent and the extreme-right Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) 4.2 percent.

Read the whole story: eKathimerini

Comments

New poll shows Greeks' conflicting desires

May 31, 2012 by Damian Hockney (Barbados ), 50 weeks 2 days ago

Given the fact that it appears pretty obvious the Greek people cannot both stay in the eurozone and tear up the so-called memorandum, it would be better if polls put these issues clearly to respondents: it seems pointless asking people questions which are irrelevant to their actions or to outcomes - polls should be asking: "in the event that you have to accept the so-called memorandum in its current form to remain in the euro, do you support that course of action?" and/or other similar questions. Otherwise these polls are effectively asking for what to Greek voters are ideal world answers...and this is not an ideal world is it?!

Re: New poll shows Greeks' conflicting desires

May 31, 2012 by Jim Adams (United States ), 50 weeks 2 days ago

@Damian Hockney:
Most Greeks do not seem to realize the relationship between austerity measures and euro. They seem to think that they can keep the pie and eat it too! I'm afraid when it dawns on them it will be a little too late. Now, if they consciously choose to drop the euro, that's a different story. But right now it looks like they do not have a grasp on reality.