Greek debt crisis: Poll puts Syriza in second place just behind New Democracy for first time since January
Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ Syriza party is likely to be punished in the upcoming General Election, after a further knock in the polls.
After having called snap elections on August 20, Tsipras’ party has seen its lead in the polls diminish rapidly, with its main rival New Democracy creeping slightly ahead, according to a poll by Metron Analysis.
Read more: Syriza's poll lead narrows ahead of Greek election on 20 September
The latest poll has New Democracy, the party which Syriza took over from, ahead by a fine margin at 24 per cent against Syriza’s 23.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, Popular Unity, the party formed last week by ex-Syriza MPs unhappy with the bailout deal struck between Tsipras and Greece's creditors, has been backed by just 3.4 per cent, according to the survey.
This is the first time New Democracy has led in the polls since Syriza took power, as Syriza’s popularity has fallen in recent weeks as Tsipras called the elections to boost support for the country’s €86bn (£63.2bn) bailout plan, which come with further austerity.
Read more: Tsipras is out – Greek Prime Minister resigns and calls snap election
Tsipras came to power in January with the promise of negotiating a better deal for Greece with its international creditors, but failed to reverse austerity.