It's election day in Greece, with political leaders making their last pitch to win over undecided voters. 

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is promising a more stable economy while opposition leader of the left-wing Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras, is calling for a progressive administration.

Much has happened in Greek politics over the last few years – let's break it down.

The economy

When prime minister and leader of the conservative New Democracy party Mitsotakis got elected in 2019, the country was still reeling from the financial crisis and unemployment was close to 18 percent. Today that has dropped to 11 percent, and that's a trend that could boost him in the ballots.

"The country has been through a lot these past years, with the latest being the tragic train crash in Tempi and the pandemic. But on the mind of most Greeks is the economy," political commentator Giannis Xristakos tells CGTN Europe.

"Over the past few years, the growth makes Greeks proud again that they can have a better life closer to European standards. I believe that's what they'll think about when voting," he added.

Wiretapping scandal

Last July it was revealed that the mobile phone of Nikos Androulakis, the leader of the social-democratic PASOK party, was tapped by the Greek secret services. 

The incident rocked the nation and also made international headlines. But according to opinion polls, it didn't affect the prime minister's popularity.

"The issue was discussed many times in the parliament and the case is still in court," says Zacharia Zoupis, the Research and Communications director for OpinionPoll. 

"It's a large issue rocking the foundations of our democracy, but if you translate it to opinion polls and numbers, the prime minister's popularity stays the same. He didn't even lose a single percentage point." ‌

A dent in Mitsotakis's image

However, Mitsotakis did lose support after a deadly train crash in February when a cargo and a passenger train collided near the Tempi valley leaving 57 people dead, and another 50 injured. 

In the deadliest train crash in Greece's history, the majority of the victims were young people. The minister of transportation was forced to resign and for the next month, thousands joined protests to express their anger.

"The train crash in Tempi shocked Greek society, creating doubts about the government," says Zoupis. "It's the first time we saw a drop of three to four percent in opinion polls, but it wasn't only that. The prime minister's popularity also dropped and his political decisions were questioned even more," he adds.

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Just before the polls opened on Sunday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis's party was estimated to win around 36 percent of the vote, ahead of opposition party leader Alexis Tsipras at 29.4 percent.

Of course, all this can change. Sunday's general election is likely to pave the way for a second round of voting, as neither of the two top candidates seem set to collect the 46 percent needed to claim a parliamentary majority. 

But no matter who Greece's next prime minister is, after years of economic turmoil, Greeks will be eager for some semblance of political stability.

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