Civic Democrats remain most-popular, Social Democrats' numbers rise--poll

The main opposition Civic Democratic Party, meanwhile, continues to dominate the political scene in the Czech Republic, according to a new poll by Factum. Nearly 34 percent of respondents said they would vote the Civic Democrat ticket in the next general parliamentary election. The poll shows, however, that the governing Social Democratic Party has gained back favour following the resignation of party chairman Stanislav Gross as prime minister this spring. The Social Democrats now poll at 23 percent, with the new prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, widely seen as a competent leader. Polling at just above 19 percent, the main Communist party remains a strong third, followed by the junior coalition Christian Democratic Party at some 11 percent.