The research, conducted by pollsters Norstat on behalf of conservative think tank the Institute for Social Studies (MTÜ Ühiskonnauuringute Instituut), found that 30.5 percent of eligible voters back opposition party Isamaa, while the coalition Reform Party (17 percent of support) and the opposition Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE – 16.7 percent) were practically neck-and-neck.

These three are followed by the Center Party, also in opposition, at 13.5 percent of support, then the Social Democratic Party (SDE) with 11.6 percent.

SDE is in government with Reform and Eesti 200 – the latter polled at 2.7 percent in the latest Norstat survey, well below the 5-percent threshold required to win seats at a Riigikogu election.

Overall support for the three coalition parties combined stood at a total of 31.4 percent, compared with 60.7 percent for the opposition, almost twice as much.

Norstat conducts its polls on a weekly basis, aggregating the results over the preceding four weeks.

The latest survey covers the period January 27 to February 23, during which time just over 4,000 Estonian citizens of voting age were quizzed. Results from respondents who did not pledge support for any party are excluded from the above figures.

Once per month, respondents are also asked about their opinions on the performance of the government and the prime minister.

According to the latest results on this, 27 percent of respondents found the government to be doing either a "very good" or "quite good" job, compared with 68 percent who found the government is performing "quite poorly" or "very poorly."

Kristen Michal (Reform) was backed by 24 percent of respondents in terms of how he is handling his role as prime minister, compared with 56 percent who disapproved of his performance.

Norstat claims a maximum margin of error in direct proportion to a party's size in terms of support. So with Isamaa, for instance, as the most supported party, the claimed margin of error stands at +/-1.74 percent, compared with +/-0.61 percent for Eesti 200 as the least supported of the six Riigikogu parties.

The next elections are to the local municipalities, in October this year.

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