Very interesting focus group findings are reaching the Maximos Mansion regarding the political dynamics of the convicted and now released Ilias Kasidiaris. According to Thanasis Fouskidis’ column in the “Secret” supplement of the “Parapolitika” newspaper, secret polling data that has arrived at the Prime Minister’s strategic headquarters suggests that a political entity — one that, in one way or another (given the well-known provisions of the Voridis legal framework, which act as a roadblock to Kasidiaris’ plans), would carry the backing of the former Golden Dawn MP — could seriously shake up the playing field across the populist and far-right spectrum ahead of the national elections.
Specifically, as this column can reliably report, two key findings emerge from the data. On one hand, the political formation in question would have a particularly strong appeal among voters who until recently expressed their preference for Maria Karystianou, but who — following recent developments — have distanced themselves from “Elpida for Democracy” and are now in a wait-and-see mode regarding her final political direction. On the other hand, it appears that this formation could drastically erode the strength of other neighboring political spaces, as it is the single factor that pulls Kyriakos Velopoulos out of the safety of his steady polling numbers — costing him two percentage points — while also having a particularly negative impact on the prospects of Samaras and Latinopoulou, and even — under certain conditions — on their ability to maintain a parliamentary presence.
