With growing concern, officials at Maximos Mansion are closely monitoring international developments, as the two ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have sent oil and natural gas prices surging once again. Against this backdrop, the government finds itself facing what promises to be a particularly challenging winter on the energy front, and is planning its response along two key axes: supporting citizens while maintaining fiscal balance. This is a demanding balancing act, arriving in the immediate aftermath of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), where political leaders made their case to the public. The first opinion polls following the event have brought cautious satisfaction to Maximos Mansion, as New Democracy has crossed the psychological threshold of 30% in voting intention surveys. In this light, the government is seeking to demonstrate swift reflexes in strengthening households against rising energy costs, with announcements of new measures expected within the coming days — continuing the momentum for a shift in public sentiment that began at TIF, with the central message being that the economy’s positive trajectory should be felt in citizens’ everyday lives.
The pools of undecided voters New Democracy is targeting
The deeper objective of Maximos Mansion is to reach out primarily to the pool of undecided voters — who account for 13.7% in the GPO poll conducted for Parapolitika newspaper — since, according to Antonis Papargyrис, the majority of them are former New Democracy supporters from the last election. Speaking on Parapolitika 90.1 FM and commenting on the trends being recorded, Mr. Papargyrис assessed that an outright parliamentary majority remains a distant prospect, noting that “the government is on its own” and that, despite potentially “seeing a ‘3’ in front of it,” its “electoral reservoirs are running dry.” Specifically regarding the undecided voter percentage, the GPO Research Director noted that the largest segment comes from New Democracy, while adding that this particular section of the electorate does not appear, based on current findings, to be willing to return to the governing party.
Commenting on the findings and referring to Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his standing within his own political camp, he stated: “Kyriakos Mitsotakis is dominant within his own party at this moment.” As for Antonis Samaras and the prospect of him founding a new political party, he highlighted that 3.2% of respondents say they would certainly vote for a Samaras party, identifying Greek Solution and New Democracy as its primary voter pools, while also noting that a segment of PASOK voters might consider such an option. With regard specifically to New Democracy, he assessed that the potential appeal of a Samaras party would draw more from voters who chose New Democracy in 2023 and 2024, rather than from the party’s current supporters. In any case, the cost of living remains the number one concern for citizens, with the energy issue sitting high on the government’s agenda.
“Ignorance or populism”
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, during yesterday’s briefing with political correspondents, focused on energy costs and proposals to reduce the Special Consumption Tax (SCT) on fuels, launching a sharp attack on the opposition for what he called “ignorance or populism.” He stated that the government has no “red lines” when it comes to reducing the SCT, but is obliged to operate within the European fiscal framework. “Do not expect policies that would jeopardize the country’s standing,” he said, clarifying that it was never stated that a reduction in the SCT was prohibited. On the contrary, he noted, the possibility of invoking an escape clause to exempt related expenditures from the deficit calculation would be explored within the European Union framework. “There is no government that does not want to cut taxes, provided it has the fiscal capacity to do so,” he added.
“We are among the top three countries in terms of support provided relative to our GDP since the energy crisis began,” he continued, pointing to forthcoming announcements from the economic team. In the same vein, Minister of State Akis Skertsos, speaking on Skai 100.3 FM, assured listeners that the government would protect citizens from the impact of the energy crisis, emphasizing: “There is no chance we will leave citizens’ and households’ incomes unprotected.” He made clear, however, that any assistance provided would not come at the cost of economic stability.
*Originally published in Apogeumatini
