According to an MRB opinion poll on behalf of Eleftheros Typos newspaper, 29.4 percent of those polled would vote for PASOK while 29.3 percent would vote for ND.

Regarding who is the most suitable for prime minister, 42.3 percent of the respondents preferred Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, followed by 36.6 percent who preferred PASOK leader George Papandreou, while 20.1 percent responded "neither of the two."

As for which party the respondents believed would win elections, regardless of their own voting preference, ND lead with 43.5 percent, against 34.6 percent for PASOK.

The MRB poll was conducted nationwide between October 1 and 2, on a sampling of 1,050 respondents. In another opinion poll, conducted by RASS on behalf of To Paron, ND amassed 31.3 percent with respect to voter intent, with PASOK a close second with 31.1 percent.

The poll also showed voters saw Karamanlis as better suited to lead the country than the PASOK leader George Papandreou.

Karamanlis has come under criticism over tax hikes to cut a budget deficit and a series of scandals involving ministers.

The polls were conducted after Karamanlis expelled a dissident member of his ND party in a bid to impose discipline, cutting his government majority in the parliament to just one seat.

Karamanlis led ND won the election and kicked off his second term in office in September of 2007. Elections are not due until 2011 but speculation has mounted that ND might call them soon.