Lead of former Czech PM Babis's ANO party shrinks ahead of election, poll shows

PRAGUE (Reuters) -Support for Czech billionaire and former prime minister Andrej Babis's opposition ANO party fell to its lowest level since January, shrinking its lead to single digits ahead of elections on October 3 and 4, a new poll showed.

The poll by the STEM agency for CNN Prima News, published on Thursday evening, showed ANO receiving support from 28.0% of respondents versus 21.0% for the ruling centre-right group SPOLU, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

ANO has for months held a comfortable double-digit lead in polls, boosted by promises to cut taxes, hike wages, bring more spending support, restrict immigration and push back against the European Union's green policies.

No party is forecast to win a majority in the 200-seat lower house of parliament, making seat distribution important.

Under STEM's latest poll, ANO still has the most viable chance of forming a coalition.

Babis, an ally of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the French far-right in the eurosceptic Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, may turn for support to the anti-EU and pro-Russian SPD and Stacilo! parties or the Motorists party.

However, support for Motorists and particularly Stacilo! dipped in the poll, and both were hovering only just above the 5% threshold to win seats. Their failure to advance to parliament would complicate Babis's ability to form a majority and could offer the current coalition options to stay in power.

ANO SPOLU SPD STAN Pirati Stacilo! Motoriste

Sobe

Sep 25 28.0 21.0 13.8 12.2 9.8 5.5 5.6

Sep 21 30.9 19.5 12.0 12.2 9.3 7.7 5.7

Sep 14 31.3 20.2 12.5 10.0 10.0 7.4 6.0

Sep 07 30.7 20.3 12.9 10.5 9.2 7.4 5.5

Aug 31 31.2 20.9 12.8 10.1 8.9 6.5 5.1

Aug 24 32.7 21.3 11.0 10.9 8.5 7.0 3.9

Aug 17 32.5 20.1 12.1 10.8 9.2 7.1 4.7

Aug 10 31.1 21.3 13.2 10.5 8.1 8.0 4.9

Aug 03 31.5 20.8 13.8 10.3 8.3 7.5 4.2

Jul 27 32.9 21.2 12.5 12.0 7.6 7.2 4.1

Jul 20 31.5 19.4 12.8 12.2 8.1 7.4 3.5

Jul 13 30.9 19.9 12.4 13.2 8.0 6.3 3.5

Jul 06 30.9 20.5 13.9 12.3 7.9 5.0 4.0

Jun 29 31.9 20.8 13.0 10.6 7.8 4.6 4.8

** ANO (YES, Action by Dissatisfied Citizens) - centrist, populist; main opposition party of billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babis; part of the anti-Brussels Patriots for Europe group in European Parliament

** SPOLU (Together)- centre-right coalition led by the Civic Democrats of Prime Minister Petr Fiala; main government party

** SPD (Direct Democracy Party) - far-right, wants to quit NATO and EU, pro-Russian

** STAN (Mayors and Independents) - liberal, centrist pro-EU party, wants closer integration and adoption of the euro; junior government party

** Pirati (Pirates) - liberal, centrist party with focus on anti-graft and transparency agenda, pro-European integration, pro-euro; were part of current government until last year

** Stacilo! (Enough!) - far-left grouping around the former Communist Party; anti-EU, anti-NATO, pro-Russian; includes the diminished former ruling Social Democrats party; not represented in current parliament

** Motoriste Sobe (Motorists for Themselves) - right-wing party fighting EU's green policies; not represented in current parliament

(Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Joe Bavier)