Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party retained a comfortable lead over ruling SYRIZA party in the latest opinion poll, published over the weekend, although falling just short of previous double-digit percentage point leads it has enjoyed over the recent past.
Specifically, the center-right party is given 34.9 percent of respondents' preference, to 25.2 percent for previously radical leftist SYRIZA.
The poll was carried out by the Metron Analysis firm and published in the Sunday weekly "Vima".
Ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) retains third place in this poll, with 9.4 percent, somewhat of a surprise, given that in the last few mainstream opinion polls conducted in the country it had fallen to fourth place behind a new political grouping (Movement of Change), mostly comprised of once formidable socialist PASOK.
The latter polled 8.4 percent, followed by the Communist Party, 7 percent.
The only other party to receive 3 or more percent in the results was the Union of Centrists. The latter was given exactly 3 percent.
A 3-percent threshold - as a percentage of valid votes in a general election - is necessary for Parliament representation in Greece's election system.
