Editorial: Clear mandate

Greece is probably the only country in Europe in which opinion polls serve as party banners and become the object of skirmishes between political parties.

Those in the lead celebrate, while those which are behind hasten to challenge the validity of the poll.

Beyond partisan skirmishes, opinion surveys are a very useful tool for analysis and for drawing conclusions.

The conclusions from the opinion poll published today by Ta Nea are clear on various fronts.

For citizens, the end of the period of bailout memorandums does not translate into an improvement in the economy or in their personal economic situation.

Secondly, respondents said that the economy is moving in the wrong direction.

Thirdly, there is a cementing of the majority current which believes the solution is early elections.

Finally, a majority within all parties are opposed to the Greece-FYROM naming agreement.

Then, of course, there is the paramount question of voting intention. Whether the polling distance between parties is reduced and by how much, and what that may mean for the future is the object of partisan recriminations.

The general, indisputable conclusion is that for the last two years, the majority of citizens have supported a political change, in numbers reminiscent of the pre-crisis political terrain.

Simply put, most citizens want a different government, and they want to deliver an absolutely clear mandate at the polls, as soon as possible.