Pulse poll: New Democracy leads SYRIZA by eight percentage points

New Democracy leads SYRIZA by between 7.8 and 8.2 percentage points - about one percentage point less than in the 26 May European Parliament election - in a new poll conducted by the Pulse polling company and presented tonight on SKAI television's evening newscast.

In an extrapolation that distributes the undecided vote in proportion to that of respondents who have already decided, the median spread between ND and SYRIZA is eight percentage points.

ND garners between 32.2 percent and37.8 percent, SYRIZA receives between 24.4 percent and 29.6 percent, the Movement for Change between 5.5 percent and 8.5 percent, the KKE Greek Communist Party between 4.1 and 6.9 percent, and Golden Dawn between 3.2 percent and 5.8 percent.

The poll suggests that New Democracy can garner an absolute parliamentary majority with 152 seats in the 300-member legislature.

SYRIZA and ND have kept most of their electoral base from the European elections, with SYRIZA retaining 87 percent of its voters and New Democracy 90 percent of its base.

ND lost three percent of its European election base to SYRIZA.

The undecided vote has dropped from 9 percent to 7.5 percent of the electorate.

Scenarios, half the electorate wants coalition government

If Elliniki Lysi does not make it into parliament, New Democracy will have a six-seat majority (156 seats), but if it does ND only gets a two-seat majority (152 seats).

Nevertheless, the poll indicates that nearly half the electorate (47 percent) wants a coalition government rather than single-party New Democracy rule.

Thirty-three percent of respondents preferred single party ND rule and only 12 percent single-party SYRIZA rule, while 15 percent prefer a New Democracy-led...