Alexis Tsipras entered the polls with striking force, and ahead of the official founding announcement of his new party, the Greek Left Alliance (EL.A.S.). A new survey by RealPolls for Protagon places the former prime minister as the leading opposition figure, with EL.A.S. claiming second place, and Tsipras emerging as the political force capable of rallying the center-left and going head-to-head with Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy.

Even before Tsipras had unveiled EL.A.S.’s founding declaration, the prospect of his return is already reshaping the political landscape dramatically, triggering a ripple effect throughout the other opposition parties, while the government has responded to the announcement with awkward jokes and stale talking points.

ND Drops, EL.A.S. Comes in Second

When asked which party they would vote for if elections were held next Sunday, New Democracy (ND) stands at 29.1%, down from 30.6% in April, while Tsipras’ party comes in second at 16.1%, followed by the party of Maria Karystianou at 13.1%.

PASOK-KINAL finds itself in fourth place and, according to the poll, has lost its double-digit standing, recording 9.4%. The Communist Party (KKE) is fifth with 7.4% (up from 6.3% in April), Greek Solution sixth with 5.6% (down from 7% in April), Course of Freedom seventh at 4.5%, and Voice of Reason eighth at 4.1% (up from 3.7%).

EL.A.S. Also Second in Voting Intentions

The RealPolls survey was conducted over three days, from May 23 to 25, before Tsipras had publicly announced his party’s name and founding declaration.

In terms of voting intention, ND gathers 27.5%, while Tsipras’ party again comes in second at 14.1%, with Karystianou’s Hope for Democracy following at 11.4%.

PASOK records a drop of 1.8 percentage points in voting intention, falling from 10.4% in April to 8.6% now, while SYRIZA and MeRA25 are nearly disappearing from the map, as the opposition’s dominant position appears to be transferring entirely to Tsipras. SYRIZA slides from 3.8% to just 1.2%, and Yanis Varoufakis’ party falls from 3.4% to 1.5%.

A major loser is also Zoe Konstantopoulou’s Course of Freedom party, dropping from 6.1% in April to 3.7%.

What Today’s Rolling Polls Show

Notably, according to reliable sources, in today’s rolling polls EL.A.S. is registering 20%, PASOK 11% with a downward trend, and ND 27%.

What the Public Thinks About Tsipras’ Party

Tsipras’ return to active politics is viewed positively by 33.6% of respondents, who consider it necessary given the weakness of the existing official opposition.

An additional 34.0% believe Tsipras will serve as a rallying force for the center-left, with 9.8% saying “definitely yes” and 24.2% saying “probably yes.”

When asked whether Tsipras’ new political formation has what it takes to stand as a genuine rival to New Democracy, 38.9% respond positively, while 14% believe it could actually come out as the leading party.