Poll suggests Social Democrats as lower house election winner

A survey by the internet polling agency SANEP released on Thursday has put the left-of-centre Social Democrats as the winners of elections to the lower house at the end of May. The poll taken in April gives the Social Democrats 29.9 percent of support, ahead of its main rivals the Civic Democrats on 22.3 percent. The Communists come in third with 12.9 percent, followed by Top 09 on 10.1 percent and the Public Affairs party on 9.8 percent. Former prime minister Miloš Zeman’s party would also cross the 5.0 percent barrier to gain a seat in parliament with 5.5 percent support, the poll suggests. Those percentages would leave the Social Democrats and Communists just short of an absolute majority in the lower chamber.