Reform Party Holds on to Top Position in Monthly Popularity Poll
If parliamentary elections were to be held today, the Reform Party would continue to be in good shape.
TNS Emor's monthly poll shows Reform with a 31 percent popularity rating, more than the 29 percent it took home at the ballot box in the elections of 2011.
The ruling party gained 2 points compared to last month's poll, and has been on the rise after dumping IRL for the Social Democrats in its coalition government.
The Social Democrats continued to hang in second place with 25 percent (17 percent in 2011 elections), down 2 percentage points. The Center Party remained steady with 24 percent (23 percent in 2011 elections) of support while IRL again lost support and now would win only 14 percent of the vote, far less than the 20 percent gained during the elections of 2011.
IRL and the Reform Party's fortunes have reversed since the municipal elections in November, when IRL was briefly more popular than the Reform Party, which was the first time that had happened since the monthly poll began in 2006. IRL’s secretary general Tiit Riisalo told uudised.err.ee that the ratings have been stable at around 14-15 percent.
Martin Kukk, his counterpart at the Reform Party, said the poll reflects the afterglow from the European Parliament elections, which Reform won, and they should not be taken too seriously.
Emor expert Aivar Voog said the Reform Party has the prime minister and just won two seats at the EP elections while the three other established parties received one. Those two factors played a big role in this month's ratings.
TNS Emor's monthly poll is commissioned by ERR and asks around 1,000 people each month for their political party preferences.