The findings suggest a deepening crisis for the country’s main governing parties—New Democracy (ND), PASOK, and SYRIZA—as well as their respective leaders. Across the board, public trust and approval ratings are alarmingly low, signaling widespread disillusionment with the political status quo.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appears to be facing the sharpest decline. According to the poll, just 29% of respondents view him positively, bringing him perilously close to the historic low of 28% recorded by former ND leader Antonis Samaras in 2012, during the peak of the financial crisis. More broadly, 68% of those surveyed believe that New Democracy is heading in the wrong direction. This level of dissatisfaction mirrors the public sentiment just before the party’s defeat in the 2015 elections.
But the erosion of public trust is not limited to the ruling conservatives. PASOK, once a dominant force in Greek politics, continues to struggle with its image. Seven in ten Greeks believe PASOK is also on the wrong track, and notably, even 42% of those who voted for the party in the 2023 elections share this view. Party leader Nikos Androulakis fares no better—his approval rating stands at just 15%, a figure that recalls the twilight of George Papandreou’s leadership in 2012.
SYRIZA, the left-wing party that surged to power in the wake of Greece’s economic turmoil, now finds itself in the most precarious position of the three. After suffering five internal splits in recent years, SYRIZA’s public image is at its lowest point in over a decade. A staggering 76% of respondents say the party is moving in the wrong direction. Even among SYRIZA’s 2023 voters, 58% share that opinion.
Today, only 15% of its remaining supporters express confidence in the party’s current direction. Former party president Stefanos Kasselakis, whose tenure was marred by controversy and division, receives a disapproval rating of 76%. His successor, Socrates Famellos, is viewed unfavorably by 62% of respondents. The poll also highlights that Alexis Tsipras, who led SYRIZA to power in 2015, remains by far the most popular figure associated with the party.
One of the most telling takeaways from the survey is the growing perception among Greeks that the main political players are indistinguishable. More than half of respondents—53%—believe that New Democracy, PASOK, and SYRIZA are essentially “all the same.”
This view reflects a broader fatigue with the political establishment, especially as all three parties, despite their ideological differences, supported various versions of austerity and bailout agreements during the country’s long economic crisis beginning in 2010.
