Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras’ newly launched Greek Left Alliance (ELAS) and Nikos Androulakis’ socialist PASOK are intensifying their competition for Gen Z voters ahead of Greece’s next general election, due in 2027.
Founded just weeks ago by the former SYRIZA leader, ELAS has already overtaken PASOK as the main opposition force in recent polls, while the ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) retains a nearly-double-digit lead.
Both center-left parties have recently unveiled youth-focused proposals. ELAS has pledged a 35-hour working week and the abolition of Greece’s university entrance examination system, while PASOK has proposed a four-day working week and free public transport for commuters under 24.
Pollster Giorgos Arapoglou, general manager of Pulse, describes Gen Z (17-29) as the most difficult voting group to reach. “A large share remains in the ‘grey zone’ of abstention or indecision, at significantly higher rates than the average voter,” he said. However, he noted that younger voters are less angry than older generations and have not yet firmly settled their political preferences, making them a key electoral target.
According to Interior Ministry projections, around 890,000 voters of the 17-24 age group will be eligible to vote in the next election. The challenge is turnout. Participation among younger voters has steadily declined, from 585,000 in the May 2023 election to 433,000 in the repeat election of June 2023 and just 235,000 in the 2024 European Parliament elections.
A senior ND official acknowledged that youth abstention helped shield the government from heavier losses in the European vote. Support for ND among 17-24-year-olds fell to 16.1%, down from 28.8% in June 2023, with similar declines among voters aged 25-34 and university students.
Political scientist Giorgos Sefertzis argues that many young Greeks are not apathetic but pessimistic about the country’s future, creating distance from mainstream parties. “Once, the youth vote was an advantage for New Democracy, which it has now lost in a dramatic way,” he said.
With most Gen Z voters consuming news primarily through social media rather than traditional outlets, parties are expected to focus heavily on digital campaigning as the election approaches.
Read the full article at ekathimerini.com →
GR