THE HAGUE, 04/07/09 - For the first time, the Party for Freedom (PVV) is the top-scoring party in both leading opinion polls. Geert Wilders' party reached this position in Maurice de Hond's poll three months ago, and has now come top in the Synovate poll as well.

According to the Synovate Political Barometer, the PVV would win 32 of the 150 Lower House seats if elections were held now. This makes it the largest party, although the Christian Democrats (CDA) also score 32 seats. The PVV currently holds 9 Lower House seats and the CDA 41.

Without apparent reason, the PVV has jumped from 23 to 32 seats in the Political Barometer, drawn up on behalf of TV programme Nova, over the past month. In the polls held by Maurice de Hond, the PVV has been stable at or around 32 seats for months.

In the latest barometer, Labour (PvdA) scores 21 seats. The socialists (SP) also show a substantial loss, with 13 seats. Centre-left D66 and the conservatives (VVD) both have 15 seats. The leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) scored 10 seats in the poll, progressive Christian party ChristenUnie 7, Party for Animals (PvdD) 3 and orthodox Christian party SGP 2. Proud of the Netherlands (TON) would win no seats at all.

In a TNS NIPO poll as well, the PVV is the biggest party: with 28 seats against 24 for CDA. D66 would win no less than 22 seats and the PvdA, only 19. The VVD is also at 19. SP would win 14 seats, ChristenUnie 8 and GroenLinks 7. TNS NIPO has proved to be the least reliable pollster in earlier elections, and is less influential.