On the evening of the elections on July 7, 2019, the atmosphere of celebration that prevailed in Piraeus in connection with the big victory of the ND in the elections. and the return to power left little room for attention to the incredibly high percentage – well above the poll’s forecasts – that SYRIZA scored, reaching 31.5%.

Some analysts in the subsequent period noted that the fact that in the last stage a concerted effort was made to identify Kyriakos Mitsotakis with an extremely “painless” policy, especially towards the most vulnerable and weak citizens, played a catalytic role in increasing his share. that he finally allowed SYRIZA to win a much higher percentage than that recorded in the European elections.

During that pre-election period, SYRIZA used the word “neoliberal” hundreds of times for a future prime minister, with a “boom” of layoffs of civil servants and general cuts in the public sector. The result ultimately confirmed the party of Alexis Tsipras, as his percentage of civil servants was heavily favored by SYRIZA, exceeding 37%, almost 5.5 points above his national percentage, with New Democracy at almost 33%, i.e. . more than 6 points. below its overall performance.

Four years later, the actions of the Mitsotakis administration not only did not confirm the Armageddon predicted by SYRIZA, but rather “revealed” the socializing prime minister, as harsh neo-liberals now describe him. In fact, at the end of the four-year period, Mr. Mitsotakis reserved announcements for generous raises by announcing a new unified salary for civil servants from 2024, with the goal, as he said in the announcement of the ND program, that the average salary reaches 1,500 euros.

Mr. Mitsotakis’s attitude during his tenure conjured up many ghosts left behind by SYRIZA. Benefits were not cancelled, the support policy continued while due to the pandemic and the role played by the national health system, Mr Mitsotakis publicly reconsidered, saying that we need more and a better state.

According to Maximos’ measurements, these movements have a social impact: in the electoral preferences of ND civil servants. now it appears to be slightly ahead, covering a distance of four units. A source in the government notes to “K” that it is this social group that is an important “reservoir” from which N.D. it can garner the votes it didn’t get in 2019, cutting the losses it undoubtedly inflicts on other – mostly small, anti-systemic – parties. “This is an especially critical 3%, as there is absolutely nothing left in the battle for self-sufficiency,” says the same source.

Maximos believes that the authorities have broken the stereotype of “neoliberal”.

The ruling party can count on these new influxes to make up for the losses that, despite its rise in the polls, it is still registering after Tempi.

An experienced sociologist in an interview with “K” confirms that Kyriakos Mitsotakis really has reserves that can turn out to be critical, especially in the second round of voting, since in all respects he surpasses his party as a person. It is characteristic that while in N.D. it ranges from 31% to 33%. The prime minister himself has a popularity rating in excess of 38%, which indicates that he himself can get a part of the voters. Such voices of personal preference seem to be drawn from an audience of civil servants. There is no such specialized find in measurements. However, a very high approval rating – up to 60% – for the prime minister among KINAL voters is consistently recorded. This penetration shows, according to the sociologist, that in the complex dilemma that will arise in the second election (Mitsotakis or Tsipras), N.D. profits can be expected from PASOK.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s attempt to change the data in the critical sector of civil servants, which concerns a considerable number of citizens of 600,000, constitutes, according to the same poll sources, a key part of the 7-8% of voters who move from SYRIZA in North Dakota “There were people who in In 2019, when Mitsotakis never ruled, SYRIZA really believed that the ND President could bring upheaval in his life. Now he knows that it was only to intimidate and get votes, ”a government source notes to“ K ”. The same sources indicate that N.D. he looks forward to the experience of the Mitsotakis administration, which, they interpret, dispelled the negative stereotypes that SYRIZA tried to impose on him.

Unemployed parameter

Another particularly important social group is the unemployed. In 2019, SYRIZA outperformed the unemployed by 10 points, gaining 29% against 19% ND. “And here the fear cultivated at that time worked,” a government official tells K, emphasizing that four years ago SYRIZA managed to make it clear that Mitsotakis as prime minister would be of interest only to the elites, and not to the poor. Not Today, Maximos emphasizes that the real interest for the unemployed is when the overall plan for creating jobs is implemented, “as under the current government,” and not wishful thinking. However, the struggle for the unemployed is not insignificant, since, despite the increase in employment, they still represent a particularly large social group, numbering over half a million people.