ATHENS – The spillover economic effect around the world over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the two countries are major suppliers of wheat – has Greeks anxious about how it will them in the pocketbook too.

With energy bills jumping, supermarket prices are also going up and there’s been rationing of flour, sunflower oil and commodities that are showing signs of being in short supply.

A poll taken by the firm Pulse for SKAI TV showed that two-thirds of Greeks think the war will go on for weeks or months and that 77 percent are fretting it will take away purchasing power, said Kathimerini.

And 85 percent said they are anxious, with 45 percent saying it will cut deep into their family budget in a number of sectors, 20 percent worried about the price of gasoline and heating oil, 13 percent about food and 12 percent over fuels.

Most said that a pittance subsidy offered by the New Democracy government in aid wouldn’t help and 83 percent said they need more assistance but Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ administration is also dealing with the costs of assistance over the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to speed an economic Some 38 percent said theyt though the relief measures were warranted but that more were needed while 45 percent said that the government’s measures “are in the wrong direction.”

It wasn’t good news for Mitsotakis as 64 percent of the respondents unsatisfied with how he’s handling the problems said they were New Democracy voters and 10 percent said the measures were “in the wrong direction.”

While 78 percent  said Russia was wrong to invade Ukraine, 56 percent of them nevertheless thought that Russia had “some basis” to begin a war against its neighbor, not saying what they thought that was.

In a related finding, the survey gave New Democracy a 32-23.5 percent lead over the major rival and former ruling SYRIZA which has been sniping constantly at Mitsotakis over the pandemic and economy.

In third, doubling its support from earlier polls was the center-left Movement for Change (KINAL) now under the leadership of Member of the European Parliament Nikos Androulakis.

In fourth in their usual place as has been the case for decades was the KKE Communists, followed by the ultra-nationalist Greek Solution at 4.5 percent and MeRA25 at 3 percent, the minimum needed to get into Parliament in elections.