Awaiting the first polls following the conclusion of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), New Democracy is hopeful of consolidating its position above the psychologically and symbolically significant 30% threshold — and, as the new year approaches and the announced measures begin to take effect, edging even closer toward an outright parliamentary majority. The slight — if modest — uptick following Kyriakos Mitsotakis‘s two-day presence and announcements at the TIF has brought a degree of satisfaction to the Maximos Mansion, where there is nonetheless considerable concern over rising international oil and natural gas prices and the impact that these increases are expected to have on domestic energy costs and inflation in the months ahead.
It is worth recalling that in one of the last polls conducted before the August recess (GPO for iefimerida), New Democracy led with 29.3% — down just 0.1% from the previous survey — followed by SYRIZA in second place at 16.6% (up 0.3%), and PASOK in third at 10.8%, recording a 0.7% decline from the same polling firm’s previous measurement. In a more recent GPO poll for Star TV, published just days ago, New Democracy registers 30.6% in voting intention, with Alexis Tsipras’s SYRIZA at 16% and PASOK at 12.8%, while additional surveys from other polling firms are currently underway.
Mitsotakis at the Kerameikos archaeological site
Kyriakos Mitsotakis is picking up his pace with a series of tours and visits across the country. Following a two-day stay on the island of Kastellorizo — where he made a series of announcements for the remote Aegean island and sent pointed messages to Greece’s neighboring country — the Prime Minister is set to speak this evening at 7:00 p.m. at the inauguration of infrastructure upgrade works at the Kerameikos archaeological site. The upgrade works at Kerameikos and the Ancient Agora of Athens form part of the broader government and Ministry of Culture plan to restore the ancient urban landscape in Athens’ historic city center. The project is funded with €7,500,000 drawn from the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Organization for the Management and Development of Cultural Resources.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister is expected to address the general assembly of SELPE (the Hellenic Association of Retail Businesses) and, for the first time since the TIF, to outline in detail the aims of the economic measures he announced in Thessaloniki and the impact he believes they will have on the Greek economy and business environment.
On a separate front, turning to the ongoing development of the former Hellinikon airport — a project now advancing at an accelerated pace — Mr. Mitsotakis is scheduled to visit The Ellinikon Sports Park on Thursday morning. The brand-new sports park spans 287 acres, 115 of which are dedicated to open green spaces. In its first operational phase, the park features, among other facilities, an outdoor athletics track, four football pitches, two basketball courts, two tennis courts, and an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool.
