Forest fires singe Greek pre-election opinion polls

By Dina Kyriakidou

ATHENS (Reuters) - Deadly forest fires that have destroyed large parts of the Greek countryside have made it nearly impossible for opinion polls to predict the results of September 16 elections, pollsters said on Friday.

A week ago, the ruling conservatives led the opposition socialists by 1-2 percentage points ahead of a parliamentary election expected to decide the pace of reforms Greece needs to catch up with its euro zone partners.

But the country's worst wildfires in memory that killed 63 people have brought the government under severe public, press and opposition criticism for its handling of the crisis.

Some polls released after the fires showed the government widening its lead over the socialists.

"All polls conducted over this period should be burned," said the respected liberal daily Eleftherotypia. "They distort reality, mislead and serve the interests of specific clients."

One agency cancelled the publication of a poll amid a flurry of attacks, saying that people in the fire-stricken southern Peloponnese region were refusing to cooperate.

"There was an extremely high percentage of refusal to participate," the MRB company said in a statement. "(We) decided to cancel the publication."

The socialist PASOK party also attacked polls showing it was unable to capitalise on the public outcry over the fires.