Spain's Socialist government leads the opposition conservatives but has lost some ground over the past month ahead of elections next month, a poll showed today.
The Socialists should get 43 per cent of the vote against 38.5 per cent for the Popular Party (PP), according to the poll in pro-government newspaper Publico, which also predicted the Socialists would win 16 more seats in parliament than the PP.
The government's advantage was greater in the survey than in other recent polls, which have given the Socialists a lead of about two to three percentage points.
With neither party likely to win an absolute majority in parliament, the next government will have to count on support of smaller groups. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says he will only try to form a new government if his party wins more votes than the opposition.
Support for both main parties has risen, but the PP gained more ground over the month, during which Spain's growing economic problems have come to dominate political debate.
The Socialists won a surprise victory in 2004 to eject the PP from power after it was widely seen to mishandle the response to Islamist train bombings in Madrid.