Poll: Radicals to take 33.2, DS coalition 31.5 pct of votes

A new Strategic Marketing poll shows that the Serb Radical Party (SRS) still leads with 33.2 percent support. Meantime, the survey presented in Belgrade Monday said, the coalition of four parties gathered around President Boris Tadic's Democrats (DS) is in second place with 31.5 percent. Poll: Radicals to take 33.2, DS coalition 31.5 pct of votes The agency conducted the poll between April 28 and May 1. A statement sent to Beta reads that the "difference between these two tickets has a tendency to decrease in relation to earlier surveys." Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and his coalition partners New Serbia are third with 13.8 percent support. 7.5 percent of those polled said they would vote for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – the same percentage said their choice will be the Socialist Party of Serbia-PUPS-NS coalitions Ethnic minority tickets have 4.5 percent, while the remaining parties do not have ratings that would take them over the five percent threshold necessary in order to win parliament seats. "It must be noted that there is a number of voters who are still undecided, and that the following days will of course bring some changes, especially since a polarization has appeared around the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU," the agency said The margin of error for the survey is at +/-3 points, Strategic Marketing said. Also Monday, the same agency said that the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) is supported by 53 percent of Serbians, while 37 percent believe that it implies the recognition of Kosovo's secession. This is according to a poll based on interviews with 546 persons, one day after the signing of the SAA, on April 30. An earlier poll released last week, conducted one day before the signing of the agreement said that 66 percent of Serbians supported the move. Strategic Marketing Research Director Svetlana Logar told a European Movement conferece Monday that 58 percent of those polled believed that the signing of the SAA did not indirectly imply the recognition of Kosovo's independence. "Out of this percentage, 37 percent believe that the signing of the agreement strengthens Serbia's position in further efforts to preserve her territorial integrity, while 21 percent believe that the signing of the SAA and Serbia's policy towards Kosovo are two separate things," Logar said. She said that 58 percent believe that the SAA is important for Serbia's economy, 54 percent said that it is important for the future of the country, while 51 percent of citizens believe that it is important for their personal lives and the lives of their families. Speaking about security issues, Logar said that the poll conducted on March 22-26 had shown that 51 percent of citizens believed that Serbia's national security was not threatened and 84 percent of the polled believed that their personal safety was not threatened. Earlier in the day, the Center for Free and Democratic Elections (CeSID) said that the signing of the SAA and the memorandum with Fiat could have a bearing on the election outcome. CeSID Executive Director Zoran Lucic said that research showed that voter turnout would be very high at the coming elections, and that campaigning, which has escalated since the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, could only help increase those figures. “At this juncture, should one party be able to eke out a further one, two or three percent, it will have wrapped up its election campaign masterfully,” said Lucic.

Poll: Radicals to take 33.2, DS coalition 31.5 pct of votes

The agency conducted the poll between April 28 and May 1.

A statement sent to Beta reads that the "difference between these two tickets has a tendency to decrease in relation to earlier surveys."

Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and his coalition partners New Serbia are third with 13.8 percent support.

7.5 percent of those polled said they would vote for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – the same percentage said their choice will be the Socialist Party of Serbia-PUPS-NS coalitions

Ethnic minority tickets have 4.5 percent, while the remaining parties do not have ratings that would take them over the five percent threshold necessary in order to win parliament seats.

"It must be noted that there is a number of voters who are still undecided, and that the following days will of course bring some changes, especially since a polarization has appeared around the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU," the agency said

The margin of error for the survey is at +/-3 points, Strategic Marketing said.

Also Monday, the same agency said that the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) is supported by 53 percent of Serbians, while 37 percent believe that it implies the recognition of Kosovo's secession.

This is according to a poll based on interviews with 546 persons, one day after the signing of the SAA, on April 30.

An earlier poll released last week, conducted one day before the signing of the agreement said that 66 percent of Serbians supported the move.

Strategic Marketing Research Director Svetlana Logar told a European Movement conferece Monday that 58 percent of those polled believed that the signing of the SAA did not indirectly imply the recognition of Kosovo's independence.

"Out of this percentage, 37 percent believe that the signing of the agreement strengthens Serbia's position in further efforts to preserve her territorial integrity, while 21 percent believe that the signing of the SAA and Serbia's policy towards Kosovo are two separate things," Logar said.

She said that 58 percent believe that the SAA is important for Serbia's economy, 54 percent said that it is important for the future of the country, while 51 percent of citizens believe that it is important for their personal lives and the lives of their families.

Speaking about security issues, Logar said that the poll conducted on March 22-26 had shown that 51 percent of citizens believed that Serbia's national security was not threatened and 84 percent of the polled believed that their personal safety was not threatened.

Earlier in the day, the Center for Free and Democratic Elections (CeSID) said that the signing of the SAA and the memorandum with Fiat could have a bearing on the election outcome.

CeSID Executive Director Zoran Lučić said that research showed that voter turnout would be very high at the coming elections, and that campaigning, which has escalated since the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, could only help increase those figures.

“At this juncture, should one party be able to eke out a further one, two or three percent, it will have wrapped up its election campaign masterfully,” said Lučić.