THE HAGUE, 08/01/03 - Labour (PvdA) and the Socialists (SP) are the most popular political parties among immigrant voters. Among these, 31 percent would vote PvdA and 23 percent, SP, according to a NIPO poll presented yesterday.

The Christian democrats (CDA), by far the largest party in regular polls, would only receive 12 percent of immigrants' votes in the 22 January general elections. Remarkably, the VVD scores slightly higher among immigrants at 18 percent than in the regular polls. Next come the leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) at 6 percent, the center-left D66 at 4, the Christian mini-party ChristenUnie (3) and the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), at 2 percent.

Immigrants also consider other political themes important. While security does also score high among them, this is followed by 'standing up for the socially weaker' and 'increasing the quality of education.' Not very important for immigrants is 'reducing job disability scheme (WAO) numbers' and 'revival of standards and values.'

Of the over 1 million immigrants from Morocco, Turkey, Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles, two-thirds are entitled to vote. This would translate into a weighting of 10 of the 150 seats in the Lower House for their votes.