With the first opinion polls coming to light, the government is looking for a political rebound after the steep decline suffered by New Democracy prior to the August summer break due to the OPEKEPE scandal.

Already yesterday, the first poll by Opinion Poll for Action24 showed some positive elements for the ruling party, with a majority of citizens responding favorably to the new measures. Politically significant for Maximos Mansion is the finding that agreement with the announced measures exceeds the party’s voting intention, which for the first time in a while once again shows a “3” in front.

The Opinion Poll survey is the first of several expected in the coming days, but its conclusions align with other pollsters who are finalizing their research. The political climate for the government appears improved, with citizens assessing the measures as significant—even if they do not directly affect their own income.

ND’s lead over PASOK remains at a double-score level, while Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ personal image also appears improved. Still, as both researchers and government officials note, the critical test for the government is to build on this base and prevent polling gains from evaporating with the next political turbulence.

Key measures

With inflation eroding incomes and limiting purchasing power—seen as the country’s most serious problem by 56.6% of respondents—53% of citizens say they are somewhat to very satisfied with the Prime Minister’s Thessaloniki announcements, while about 7 in 10 consider the individual measures important. More than 37% believe the announcements show an effort, within limits, to improve household finances, and over 33% say they expect some improvement, small or significant, in their own situation.

This latter indicator has been much discussed within the government in recent days. The prevailing view is that many social groups affected by the measures have not fully realized the benefits. For this reason, government officials appearing in the media have explicit instructions to highlight the annual household income gains that result, especially for young people.

According to information, the same finding has also emerged in the focus groups commissioned by Maximos Mansion alongside polling on the political climate. It is recalled that research was also conducted prior to the Thessaloniki Fair, to provide a comparison baseline.

The measures that “score” best in citizens’ minds, according to the Opinion Poll survey, are:

• VAT reduction on border islands
• Tax-free threshold for young people up to 25
• Abolition of the property tax (ENFIA) in two phases
• Reduction of tax rates for everyone, especially families.

Improved image

At Maximos Mansion, it is also considered that the Thessaloniki Fair improved the Prime Minister’s personal image. Government sources say he appeared confident both in his speech and in the press conference. He remains without real rival in the “suitability for prime minister” index, with nearly 28%, while Nikos Androulakis comes a distant second with just 7.2%. This is another index on which Mitsotakis aims to build, planning short visits across the country—as he did recently in Haidari—to reconnect with ND’s base.

Interestingly, another finding is that Alexis Tsipras—whose return is rumored—is considered by almost 67% of respondents as unable to defeat Mitsotakis in a head-to-head contest.

Poll results

In voting intention, ND is recorded at 30.5%, returning to the levels of May and January 2025, according to previous Opinion Poll surveys. PASOK follows with 14%, Course of Freedom 11.7%, Greek Solution 11.5%, KKE 7.4%, Voice of Logic 4.3%, SYRIZA 4.2%, MeRA25 3.4%, Democracy Movement 2.7%, NIKI 2.4%, New Left 1.6%, and Spartans 1.3%.