Information in English
VP ahead three weeks before Austrian elections
Vienna - Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's conservative People's Party (VP) is in first place three weeks before general elections, three different opinion polls said at the weekend.
All three institutes, OGM, Market and Gallup, gave the VP 38 per cent. They also all agreed that the VP's current junior partner, Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZ), was 'crumbling' and would not manage the four per cent needed for parliament.
OGM and Gallup gave the second-placed Social Democrats (SP) 35 per cent, while Market gave them 34. The Greens were steady in third place, with 10, 12 and 11 per cent by the institutes respectively.
The right-wing Freedom Party (FP) appeared to be moving ahead and approaching double figures. Gallup gave it seven, Market eight, and OGM nine per cent.
The independent list of Hans-Peter Martin seemed to be on the way into parliament. OGM and Market put it at five per cent, Gallup at four. On the contrary, the BZ faced apparent disaster with ratings by Gallup and Market of three, and OGM just two per cent.
Gallup was published by the new daily paper Oesterreich, and OGM and Market respectively by the magazines Profil and 'News'.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Published on Sep 10, 2006