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M. Continuo

Greek conservatives see opinion poll gain after securing aid


    ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's co-ruling conservatives have pulled ahead of the leftist opposition SYRIZA party by a small margin for the first time in months after securing bailout funds to avert bankruptcy, an opinion poll showed on Friday.

    The poll by Public Issue for Kathimerini newspaper and Skai TV showed support for Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's New Democracy party at 29 percent, leading the anti-bailout SYRIZA by half a percentage point.

    "The political stability that the three-party coalition government seems to have brought and relief after the Eurogroup's decision in November to unlock bailout funds seems to be having a positive impact on a public hit hard by austerity," Skai TV said.

    Athens had been locked in talks with its international lenders for months on an austerity package to put its economic adjustment back on track and avert bankruptcy before aid was released in December.

    According to the survey, support for the ruling coalition's junior partners, socialist PASOK and the Democratic Left party, was broadly stable at 8 percent and 7 percent respectively. The far-right Golden Dawn party continued to rank third with 10 percent.

    The poll also showed that while 52 percent of Greeks expect the economic crisis to last more than five years, only 9 percent felt the country would exit the euro zone.

    Asked about the need for new elections, 68 percent felt they were not necessary but only 35 percent believed the governing coalition would see out its four-year term.

    (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Janet Lawrence)