Greek Twitter users are negative after the elections on 26 May

A general negativity came out from the “Greek twitter” after the end of the elections, as SYRIZA’s defeat as well as the announcement of early election brought loads of negative comments. The negative predisposition had also been shown during the pre-election period, as SYRIZA  accumulated the majority of negative comments, something that arouses great interest for the national elections on the 7^th of July. The research of the reactions of the Greek public posting on twitter before and after the 26^th May election is of great interest and is held by InfiLab GmbH that processes and analyzes big data. The following analysis is based on tweets of users based in Greece during the period 25^th – 27^th of May, which were used as an input to the AI model, called “Political Sentiment Analysis” developed by the company in collaboration with the International Hellenic University.

On Saturday, on the eve of the election, not only the politicians but also the twitter users seemed to have had a rest. Besides, they also went through an election period full of tension. This absence from the keyboards continued also on Sunday during the time of the election. As we approached the closing of the ballot boxes, the temperature rouse , due to the expectation of the first exit polls. With their announcement, the number of tweets also blasted off. The peak was observed when the ministry officially announced a safe estimation of the result. The day after the election, the twitter audience appears to have commented intensively the election result as well as the Prime Minister’s statement for early elections.

Apart from the number of tweets, however, it is important to notice the percentage of the negative tweets before, during and after the election. 65% of all negative comments was observed after the closing of the ballot boxes. Interestingly enough, there is a sharp drop in the percentage of negative tweets during the midday hours of the election process. It seems that the elections gave people the opportunity to express their criticism and their negative emotions through the voting process, even for a while, as the day after the election, users seem to have returned to their habit of judging the political events in the country.

On Sunday, there were many ups and downs in the percentage of negative comments during the electoral process. A steady increase is observed as of 17.00 EEST, when most people had already exercised their right to vote and the time of the results was approaching. This increase continued until late at night. The Prime Minister’s announcement of early elections, as well as the statements of party presidents, were combined with increased rates of negative tweets.

Regarding users’ habits, it is noted that almost 70% of those who commented negatively, appeared after the end of the electoral process. At the same time, 24.5% of users who commented negatively before the elections returned with a negative mood after the closing of the ballot boxes. Once again, the Greek public left its mark on Twitter, commenting strongly on the euro and local municipal elections.

Dimos Beleveslis