Yesterday’s intervention by Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Parliament, against the backdrop of the discussion on Constitutional Revision, had a clear political and electoral imprint. The prime minister did not limit himself to the confrontation over constitutional changes, but sought to reshape the basic dilemmas of the next ballot: stability or the risk of ungovernability, hope or adventures, continuity and a costed plan or uncosted promises.This specific intervention came just a few hours before the publication of the new polls, by Opinion Poll (for Action24) and by Pulse (for SKAI), which record ND at 25.7% and 26.5% respectively in voting intention and at 31% and 30.5% in vote estimate, with a small rise of half a point compared with the previous measurements.
At the same time, the percentage of undecided voters amounts to 16.9% and 11% in the two polls, a fact that leaves a significant part of the electorate without a final position and focuses the attention of all parties on it.
Mr. Mitsotakis chose to directly contrast the government narrative with that of the opposition parties and sought to identify PASOK and ELAS, saying that they constitute “two sides of the same coin” and wanting to nullify their effort at political differentiation. At the same time, he linked the announcements of tax cuts and spending increases with the risk of fiscal derailment, indirectly bringing back into the discussion the traumatic precedent of the previous decade.
The prime minister placed particular emphasis on the “nightmarish scenario of turmoil and ungovernability” in the event that citizens’ trust in ND is not renewed, noting the need for “stability, continuity and consistency” in the country.
In this way, the government strategy appears to focus on the question “who can ensure governability in the country.” This is a message that acquires greater significance when the above polls record an eight-party and nine-party Parliament and a large percentage in the “gray zone.”
Standard of living
At the same time, the same surveys also highlight the challenges facing the government. Such as, for example, that the most important criterion for the final voting choice is the guarantee of a rise in the standard of living, at a time when high prices and, by extension, everyday life remain top problems concerning the public.
In this context, Mr. Mitsotakis described an especially difficult international environment, with the ongoing wars, the resulting higher oil prices and turbulence in the markets, explaining the even greater value that political stability acquires. He also sent the message that the government is not going to put the country’s fiscal gains at risk for the sake of temporary electoral handouts, although information from the government camp suggests that in the coming days additional measures to address the prolonged crisis will be ready for implementation.
Also noteworthy in the survey is the “potential vote” for a possible party of Antonis Samaras, which is recorded cumulatively at 11.5% (Opinion Poll) and 15% (Pulse) and shows that there is a space to the right of ND that remains open and can affect future parliamentary balances.
Of interest is the prime minister’s interview today on ERT, while he will also speak at the event of the Court of Audit for the completion of its digital and energy upgrade, as well as at the inauguration of The Ellinikon Sports Park. The new sports park that extends across the area of the old airport.