New Democracy remains the leading party in Greece, but the political landscape is being redrawn by two new formations. That is the picture emerging from an Alco poll conducted for Flash.gr, after the formal launches of Alexis Tsipras’ Greek Left Alliance, known by its Greek acronym EL.A.S., and Maria Karystianou’s Hope for Democracy.

The poll places New Democracy first at 23.5%, followed by EL.A.S. at 12.8%. PASOK comes third with 10%, narrowly ahead of Hope for Democracy at 9.5%. The arrival of the two new parties appears to be eating into support for SYRIZA, Plefsi Eleftherias and far-right formation Elliniki Lysi.

Tsipras seen as Mitsotakis’ toughest opponent

Asked which politician would prove the most difficult opponent for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the run-up to the next election, 25% of respondents named Tsipras. PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis came second at 15%, with Karystianou at 7%. Nearly a third of those polled, 29%, said no opposition leader can pose a serious threat to the prime minister.

Where the new parties draw their voters

The Alco data offers a detailed picture of where each new party’s support is coming from.

EL.A.S. draws most heavily from Tsipras’ former political home. Of those who say they will vote for the party, 56% backed SYRIZA in the 2023 election. Another 8% come from PASOK, 7% from MeRA25, 3% from Plefsi Eleftherias and 2% from the Communist Party (KKE). A further 5% did not vote in 2023.

The motivations behind that support are notably personal. Thirty-nine percent of EL.A.S. voters say they back the party because they consider Tsipras “honest,” and 33% say they trust him as a person. Only 8% cite agreement with the party’s political positions, suggesting the new project’s appeal is, at this stage, built around its leader rather than its program.

Hope for Democracy shows a markedly different profile. Karystianou, an activist turned politician who lost her daughter at the Tempi railway disaster, draws her support from across the political spectrum. According to the poll, 17% of her voters previously backed the religious-conservative NIKI party, 14% came from the right-wing Greek Solution, 10% from New Democracy, 8% from PASOK, 7% from KKE and 5% from SYRIZA. Another 20% had voted for other parties in 2023, and 9% had not voted at all.

The reasons her supporters give for choosing Hope for Democracy are largely symbolic. Thirty-nine percent say the party “symbolizes the demand for catharsis.” Another 30% describe Karystianou as “a new and untainted figure,” and the same share say she “is fighting for justice for Tempi.” Just 1% cite agreement with the party’s political positions.