JAKARTA - A NEW poll has found rising support for the political party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the lead up to elections this year, a report said on Monday.

Mr Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, currently a minority player in his governing coalition, has strengthened its lead as the most popular party among voters, according to a poll by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) cited by the Jakarta Post daily.

The Democratic Party won 23 per cent support, surging ahead of the opposition Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, which won the support of 17.1 per cent of voters, it said.

The largest party in Mr Yudhyono's multi-party parliamentary coalition, Golkar, won 13.3 per cent support.

'The Democratic party continues to widen its lead while Golkar continues to fall behind, and the PDI-P is meanwhile stagnant,' LSI director Saiful Mujani said.

An October LSI poll also found the Democratic Party in the lead, with 16.8 per cent support.

'The Democratic party's rise has been driven by the success of Mr Yudhoyono and his administration in the eyes of the people, as the party is known as the government's party,' Mujani added.

Mr Yudhoyono, who is seeking re-election in the middle of this year, has seen his popularity bounce back after reversing his administration's unpopular fuel price hikes late last year.

The president, who ran on a platform of reform and anti-corruption, needs to secure a strong showing for his party and assemble a strong coalition to take on key rivals - including Ms Megawati - in the presidential poll. -- AFP