Poll shows continued fall in support for ruling Spanish party as elections loom

An opinion poll conducted by the Spanish Center for Sociological Studies (CIS) in April showed that the country's ruling People's Party (PP) continues to lose votes to the Socialists (PSOE) and also to the recently formed center-right formation, Citizens (Ciudadanos).

The quarterly CIS poll, which was published Thursday, shows the PP would win 25.6 percent of the vote should elections be held today in Spain.

This is down from 27.3 percent three months ago and well below the 44.6 percent the party polled in the 2011 general election.

Meanwhile, the PSOE has overtaken the left-wing Podemos party to move into second place with 24.3 percent, up slightly from the 23.9 percent they had in January, but still down from the 28.7 percent which saw the party defeated four years ago.

Podemos has seen voting intentions fall sharply from a high point of 23.9 percent in January to 16.5 percent in April, while Citizens appears to have captured the votes of many who are angry at the two traditional Spanish parties (PP and PSOE), but worried by Podemos' left wing policies.

Citizens has seen their vote share rise from 5.2 percent three months ago to the present 13.8 percent rating, and the upward trend in it's popularity looks likely to continue in the coming months.

The United Left's voting share dropped to 4.8 percent, while the centrist UPyD has seen its supporters abandon it's party for Citizens.

The CIS poll is relevant in the face of the regional and local elections to be held in Spain at month's end. If the current trend continues, the CIS predicts that the PP will lose its overall majority, although it would still remain the major party in key strongholds such as Madrid and Valencia. Endit