THE Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrats lead over the three Coalition parties has narrowed to 10 per cent, according to the latest opinion poll.
Support for the PDs has halved, while Fine Gael and Labour are making a recovery.
In the latest Sunday Independent/IMS poll, conducted last Friday, the state of the parties, excluding the 19 per cent undecideds, was: Fianna Fail 45 per cent, up five points since the last poll in December; Fine Gael 26 per cent, up one point. Labour 13 per cent, up one point; PDs 5 per cent, down six points; Green Party 4 per cent unchanged; Democratic Left 1 per cent, unchanged; Workers' Party 1 per cent, down one point; Sinn Fin 2 per cent, up one pint; and Others 4 per cent, unchanged.
The Coalition's satisfaction rating has increased to 51 per cent, up nine points in three months.
The PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, remains the most popular leader, with a 68 per cent rating, despite the slump in support for the party. Both the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, and the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, have a similar rating of 55 per cent, up five points and one point respectively. The rating of the Tanaiste has also increased to 48 per cent, up three points. The satisfaction rating for the Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, has dropped by one point to 42 per cent.