HILVERSUM, 11/01/03 - Labour (PvdA) has overtaken the Christian democrats (CDA) as the biggest party, according to Friday's daily survey by pollster Maurice de Hond. If elections were held now the PvdA would obtain 41 Lower House seats and CDA, 39.

The conservatives (VVD) according to De Hond would get 31 seats, one more than in his previous poll on Thursday and up 7 from their current parliamentary representation. A coalition with the CDA, which loses 4 of its 43 Lower House, would have 6 seats too few for a majority in the 150-member House.

The PvdA has been gaining seats in De Hond and other pollers' surveys since the strong performance of its leader Wouter Bos in the first frontrunners TV debate over a week ago. At end-December, the PvdA was still expected to win 28 seats. In the previous general election last May, the party was halved from 45 to 23 MPs.

The Socialist Party (SP) drops in De Hond's poll to 14 seats, from 21 over a week ago - still up from its present 9 Lower House seats. The leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) would drop from 10 to 7 MPs. The Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) is also put at 7 seats, down 19 from its current 26.

If the PvdA emerges the largest party on 22 January it will have the right to deliver the premier and send out invitations to other parties for coalition talks. Bos stated last week that an alliance with the CDA would then be "unavoidable", and excluded a leftwing coalition with SP and GroenLinks or D66. CDA however is not enthusiastic on governing with the PvdA.