The Communists (KSCM) have strengthened their position to third place, with 18.4% of Czechs supporting them before the mid-June parliamentary elections, according to a poll by the TNS Factum conducted for the www.volby.iHNed.cz server.

The ruling Social Democrats (CSSD) would get 29.4%, followed by the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) with 27.8%. The CSSD would get 67 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the ODS 63. The KSCM would have 41 deputies in the 200-member lower house.

The Coalition, the election vehicle of the Freedom Union-DEU and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), would have 29 deputies. Therefore, the authors of the poll said that the only possible coalition after the elections was the continuing power- sharing pact between the CSSD and the ODS.

(NewsBase 07.vi.02)