Green Left voters want Jolande Sap to remain the party's leader, according polling by Maurice de Hond, which indicates that 56 percent of the party's supporters prefer Sap, compared to 23 percent for challenger Tofik Dibi.

Sap is also more popular with voters who support all but one of the other Dutch political parties. Only voters who support the Socialist Party prefer Dibi over Sap.

Last Monday, Dibi officially announced his candidacy. That announcement has apparently hurt his position in the party. Last week, polling indicated that Dibi had support from 40 percent of Green Left voters, compared to Sap's 38 percent.

Christian Democrat leadership race
The race to become the Christian Democrats' (CDA) new leader is between Sybrand van Haersma Buma (35 percent) and Mona Keijzer (31 percent), according to Maurice de Hond. The two have left their other competitors behind. The next closest candidate is Henk Bleker with 9 percent.

Both Green Left and the CDA members will choose their respective parties' leaders. The first round of voting for the CDA ends tomorrow. The Green Left party will probably choose their leader by the end of this month.

(dcf)

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