TABLE-Czech leftists extend lead, govt drops

...poll by the private STEM agency put support for the 
leftist Social Democrats at 33.3 percent, up from 26.9 a month 
ago, while the ruling Civic Democrats (ODS) dropped to 24.5 from 
27.5 percent. 
    The Civic Democrats rule in a shaky coalition with the 
centrist Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Green Party. 
    STEM said the coalition would win just 92 seats in the 
200-seat lower house, down from 100 seats it holds now. 
    The opposition Social Democrats and the Communists would 
take the remaining 108 seats between them. 
    The government has pushed through reforms cutting welfare 
and supports and unpopular plan to build a part of a U.S. 
missile defence shield in the country. It has also been hit by 
allegations of corruption. 
    The next election is due in 2010. 
  
 DATE    INSTITUTE   ODS    CSSD   KSCM   KDU-CSL  Greens 
 Dec 18    STEM      33.3   24.5   11.8    6.2       8.7 
 Nov 22    CVVM      29.0   36.0   16.0    5.5      10.5 
 Nov 21    FI        27.9   34.2   15.3    8.0      10.2 
 Nov 14    STEM      27.5   26.9   12.1    5.7       9.4 
 Oct 22    FI        30.2   31.5   15.8    8.3       6.9 
 Oct 19    CVVM      30.0   36.0   15.0    8.0       9.0 
 Oct 16    STEM      25.9   30.5   11.3    6.6       8.8 
 Sept 24   FI        32.2   33.0   15.3    6.8       7.1 
 Sept 19   CVVM      31.0   33.0   14.5    9.0      10.0 
 Sept 17   STEM      27.0   28.7   12.2    7.3       9.1 
 Aug 10    FI        33.8   30.7   13.3    8.8       6.9 
 June 20   CVVM      32.0   32.0   14.5    8.0      10.5 
 June 19   STEM      29.3   27.0   12.5    5.9       9.9 
 June 16   FI        33.5   30.8   12.7    8.8       9.2 
 May 23    CVVM      35.0   29.0   15.5    9.5       9.0 
 May 17    STEM      28.6   27.6   12.6    6.6       9.2 
 May 9     FI        34.5   32.3   12.2    9.1       7.0 
 April 18  STEM      29.2   24.9   10.9    6.6      11.6 
 April 18  CVVM      35.0   29.0   14.0    8.0      10.5 
 March 28  FI        35.1   26.9   13.0    8.2      11.0 
 March 21  CVVM      34.5   29.0   15.0    9.0       9.0 
 March 14  STEM      32.0   23.7   10.9    7.0      11.1 
 Feb 26    FI        34.7   29.5   13.3    7.3       7.6 
 Feb 21    CVVM      34.5   26.0   15.5    8.0      12.0 
 Feb 15    STEM      31.3   23.4   12.7    7.6      10.3 
 Feb 1     CVVM      37.0   24.5   16.0    8.0      11.5 
 Jan 26    FI        36.5   29.5   14.1    7.3       7.6 
 Jan 16    STEM      32.3   20.9   12.4    7.5      11.1 
 Dec 20    CVVM      38.0   23.5   11.5   11.0      12.0 
 Dec 15    STEM      32.9   20.6   13.1    7.0      11.2 
 Dec 07    FI        35.8   30.9   14.3    6.6       7.2 
 Nov 23    CVVM      41.0   26.0   11.0    7.0      11.0 
 Nov 15    STEM      35.1   20.7   10.9    7.5       9.4 
 Nov 10    FI        41.1   27.7   12.7    6.0       7.1 
 Oct 23    CVVM      36.0   30.5   15.0    6.0       9.5 
 Oct 16    FI        35.9   27.2   13.9    6.9       8.4 
 Oct 15    STEM      32.0   22.7   11.7    6.3      10.5 
 Sept 22   CVVM      37.0   29.5   13.0    8.0      10.0 
 Sept 21   STEM      32.8   26.6   10.0    4.2      10.3 
 Sept 18   FI        36.3   32.0   13.7    6.5       7.3 
 Aug 7     FI        41.0   30.8   12.3    6.3       6.9 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
June 2006 election   35.4   32.3   12.8    7.2       6.3 
  
    NOTE. The latest STEM poll was conducted between Dec 3 and 
10 among 1,326 Czechs eligible to vote.  
 The parties are: 
 - Civic Democratic Party (ODS) - right wing, 
liberal-conservative 
 - The Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) - leftist 
 - Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party 
(KDU-CSL) - centrist 
 - The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) - far left 
 - The Greens - environmentalists, centrist. 
   Pollsters: The FI and CVVM results are based on a model 
predicting gains at the poll box, excluding those not willing to 
vote and undecided. 
   STEM results are direct voter preferences, and include 
replies from all respondents including those not willing to 
vote. Parties should thus win a larger than indicated share of 
the vote at the election. 
 (Writing by Jan Lopatka) 
  
  Keywords: CZECH POLITICS/POLL  
    

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]