A slap in the face for the government and especially the Justice Department, is the public opinion poll conducted by GPO on behalf of Palapolitika Radio.
9 out of 10 Greeks believe that corruption has increased (67.4%) or is at the same level (23.2%) in recent years under the New Democracy. government.
Even… worse for the ruling party, are the percentages of respondents asked what the government is trying to do with cases of corruption: 3 out of 4 (73.8% to be exact) say that it is trying or rather is trying to cover it up. And those who are sure of a cover-up, state at a rate of 55.5%.
Regarding how much they trust the Greek justice system in matters of corruption, 71.2% say “not at all” or “a little”. Those who have “a lot” of trust are in single digits.
On the contrary, 61% of respondents give a vote of confidence to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Regarding the voting intention and the criteria according they would choose to vote: 58.1% state that they vote based on the parties’ plans on issues that interest them, while only 23.7% vote based on ideology and 16.8% based on the political leader.
Regarding the criteria for choosing a party in the next elections, 61.8% will vote for the party that will convince them of its program for dealing with the high prices and 45.5% based on upgrading of the public health. Third on the list is the fight against corruption, followed by foreign policy /defense and upgrading of education.
PS This is the latest poll since August showing that the conservative Mitsotakis government keeps losing in matters Greeks consider “important”.
Worth noting that Parapolitika FM is part of a media group affiliated to New Democracy. Even former PM Kostas Karamanlis warned in one of his rare speeches two days ago “of the dangers inherent in disrupting the proper functioning of institutions,” indirectly but clearly criticizing the government, which has been repeatedly accused by the opposition as parts of the society of “playing” with institutions, of trying to influence the judiciary and of “stretching” the limits of its powers.
Evangelos Venizelos, PASOK, former Minister in ND-PASOK coalition governments and professor for Constitutional Law, told state broadcaster ERT that “the country has become ungovernable, it is in institutional and value deadlock.”
In the ND front there are MPs who see the continuous downfall of the government and wait for the Prime Minister or some front from within the party to take important decisions.
Another opportunity to turn Greece around has been squandered. Will it ever change, or are the cultural roots of corruption, nepotism, and hopelessness too deep and too strong? Asking for a friend.