The difference in support between ruling PASOK and main opposition New Democracy stands at 14.5 percent, according to a monthly poll carried out by the firm Public Issue and published in the Sunday edition of the daily "Kathimerini".

The poll shows PASOK losing 1.5 percentile points since September, its lowest 12-month figure, or 42.5 percent, while ND gains one percentage point to reach 28 percent of respondents' preferences.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) garnered 11 percent, while the Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.OS) party garners 5.5 percent. The Coalition of the Left party stands at 4.5 percent, while the out-of-Parliament Ecologists are picked by 2.5 percent of respondents.

As regards the question who is best suited for prime minister, George Papandreou leads with 40 percent as opposed to 21 percent for Antonis Samaras. Moreover, 29 percent of respondents believe that the best government for the country is that of PASOK; 9 percent is the figure for ND, whereas a significant 59 percent of respondents picked "neither of the two".

Another poll by the statistics faculty of the Athens Economic University, published in the newspaper "Free Sunday", gives a 3.4-percent lead to ND's candidate for the Attica region, Vassilis Kikilias, over PASOK candidate Yiannis Sgouros.

Kikilias polls 21.7 percent; Sgouros garners 18.3 percent and now independent Yiannis Dimaras 16.4 percent. "No one" is preferred by 15.9 percent, while the remaining candidates received support below 8 percent.

On the question of who is expected to win, Sgouros leads with 31.3 percent, followed by Kikilias with 21.4 percent and Yiannis Dimaras, with 14.9 percent.