ODS's preferences below 15%, lower than KSČM's

Prague, March 5 (CTK) - Support to the Czech senior government Civic Democrats (ODS) has now decreased below 15 percent for the first time in 15 years and it is lower than the Communists' (KSCM), ppm factum found out in a poll it carried at the turn of February and March and released Tuesday.

A general election, if held now, would be won by the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) with 25.9 percent, followed by the junior government TOP 09 (16.5 percent) and Communists (13.6 percent).

The ODS in fourth position would gain 13.3 percent of the vote.

The Chamber of Deputies would also be entered by the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL, 7.8 percent) and the Party of Citizens' Rights of (president-elect) Milos Zeman (SPOZ, 7.5 percent).

According to the ppm factum model, the CSSD would have 66 seats in the 200-seat lower house of parliament, TOP 09 would have 40, the KSCM 31, the ODS 32, the KDU-CSL 15 and the SPOZ 16 seats.

It ensues from the poll that a possible centre-left coalition of the CSSD, SPOZ and KDU-CSL would have close to 100 mandates. A coalition of the CSSD, SPOZ, KDU-CSL and TOP 09 would have a comfortable constitutional or three-fifth majority of 137 seats.

Turnout would be about 50 percent, which is much lower than in the previous general election in 2010 when almost 63 percent of eligible voters came to the polls.

The poll was conducted from February 21 to March 4 on 1000 people over 18 years.