Less than 18% of Ukrainians support pro-Yushchenko parties for parliament

KIEV, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Less than one fifth, or 18%, of Ukrainians support the pro-President Viktor Yushchenko parties the People's Union Our Ukraine and the People's Rukh of Ukraine, in the 2006 parliamentary elections, the news agency Novosti-Ukraina reported Friday, citing a poll conducted by the Ukrainian Institute of Social Research and Social Monitoring Center.

About 14% of Ukrainians support the Party of Regions, headed by Victor Yanukovich and 11.3% support dismissed Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko's Batkivshina party.

About 7% of those polled support Petro Simonenko's Communist party and 6.5% are for Oleksandr Moroz's Socialist party.

The political bloc, consisting of the Ukrainian Progressive Socialist Party "Derzhava" (State), headed by Natalia Vitrenko and Gennady Vasilyev, gained the support of 3.1% respondents, and the People's party lead by former President Leonid Kuchma's Chief of Staff Vladimir Litvin also garnered 3.1%.

The Ukrainian Social-Democratic United Party, headed by Viktor Medvedchuk, is supported by 2.5% of Ukrainians and the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, chaired by Anatoly Kinakh, has a 1.5% of the support of those polled.

Supreme Rada elections are scheduled for March 2006. A party must secure at least a 3% vote to win seats in the parliament.