Hungarian ruling party's poll lead slips, far-right benefits

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party slipped further in January, an opinion poll by Ipsos showed on Monday, with the far-right Jobbik party gaining most from its decline. Backing for Orban's party has been tarnished by a proposed Internet tax that he later scrapped and diplomatic rows with western powers, including the United States and Norway, over allegations of corruption and a crackdown on civil groups. The Ipsos survey, conducted between Jan. 3-10, showed support for Fidesz dropped another 2 points to 23 percent of all voters in January. It said Fidesz remained the most popular party. Support for Jobbik was unchanged at 14 percent of the electorate in January from December but has grown from 12 percent measured in November, the survey said. It said as many as 150,000 voters had switched from Fidesz to Jobbik over the past months. The survey said Jobbik had overtaken Fidesz in popularity among the unemployed and skilled workers, while among voters younger than 30 Fidesz retained a tight lead over the far-right. Support for leftist opposition parties, including the main opposition Socialists, was unchanged, the survey said. The next parliamentary election is due in 2018. (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs; Editing by Janet Lawrence)