A poll released this week places former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's newly launched ELAS party at 15.5 percent and Maria Karystianou's "Hope for Democracy" at 12.6 percent — pushing PASOK into fourth place at 10.5 percent, down nearly four points, within days of both new parties holding their inaugural events.
The survey, conducted by Opinion Poll for broadcaster Action24, shows the ruling New Democracy holding first place with 30.5 percent. Other established parties also declined: Zoi Konstantopoulou's Course of Freedom fell to 5 percent and the nationalist Elliniki Lysi to 5.9 percent.
The numbers carry a significant caveat.
Despite their polling strength, both new parties face considerable public scepticism about their launches: 61.1 percent of respondents viewed Mr. Tsipras's launch event negatively, and 49.4 percent rated Mrs. Karystianou's negatively — suggesting voter interest has not yet translated into enthusiasm.
On policy priorities, inflation remains the dominant concern for 55 percent of respondents, followed by economic development at 33.9 percent and rule-of-law issues at 16 percent.
When asked what would most influence their vote, 37.6 percent cited a guaranteed improvement in living standards and 30 percent cited political stability.