The day of truth for Greece is next Sunday, 20 September, when almost ten million citizens are called to vote again, 9 months after the session that crowned prime minister Alexis Tsipras, leader of the left-wing Syriza party. In recent months, Tsipras and his finance minister Yanis Varoufakis have had to engage in a tough tug of war with international creditors and the European institutions: the result is that Greece has obtained a new bailout plan, Syriza has split at the first Varoufakis and then Tsipras himself resigned, calling voters to the polls a month after he dissolved the government.
Now Greece is back to voting to renew the 300 seats in Parliament, and the situation is extremely uncertain: it is true that the outgoing prime minister was still the favorite for reappointment until recently, but it is equally true that the main opposition party, New Democracy is making a comeback and according to the latest polls it could really make it. The Syriza leader won the January elections with an electoral program essentially centered on ending austerity and the troika, but largely had to renege on his promises. For many Syriza voters, Tsipras has betrayed his promises: according to many analysts the "disappointed" will be decisive for Sunday's result. And they are not few: the undecided according to the polls would be more than 10% of the voters.
After a long run-up, in the latest polls Nea Dimokratia therefore overtook Tsipras. This morning a Pulse survey for Action24 gives the Conservatives 27,5% and Syriza half a point below. According to another poll released this morning, conducted by Data RC for the Peloponnese newspaper, Nea Dimokratia could win 27,1% of the votes and the radical left 26,3%.
There are nineteen parties presenting themselves to the vote and they will have to pass the threshold of 3% to secure a seat in the assembly. In Athens alone, where half of the Greek population lives, 58 of the 300 MPs are elected.
