President Museveni's National Resistance Movement party could retain a majority in Parliament if elections were held tomorrow, findings of a new poll now being serialised by Daily Monitor reveal.

However, the ruling party's commanding lead in the House which presently sits a total of 333 members of Parliament, would be cut by almost half if the stated associations to given political parties were to be translated into voting patterns when the country goes to the polls in 2011.

Asked who they would vote depending on which political party the candidates were aligned to; 50 per cent of the respondents to the poll said they would pick an NRM person, 25 per cent went with the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Uganda's leading opposition party currently led by Dr Kizza Besigye.

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Seven and 6 per cent, respectively, either said they did not know which party candidate they would choose or simply preferred not to answer the question. Four and 3 per cent said they would go with a Uganda Peoples Congress or Democratic Party candidate, respectively.

Difference of choice is least pronounced in Kampala where 37 per cent said they would tick the pro-NRM name on the ballot against 21 per cent for the FDC. The gap is widest in western Uganda where the voters have traditionally sided with President Museveni's party with 80 per cent of the respondents saying they would choose a ruling party candidate to just 13 per cent for its nearest challenger, the FDC.

Published opinion in the same poll has already indicated that Dr Besigye, a bush war comrade of President Museveni - but one of many who fell out with the establishment over ideological differences in 1999 -- unsuccessfully contesting for the highest office in 2001 and 2002, presently enjoys 35 per cent popularity compared to the President's 43 per cent rating.

His party presently contributes 38 members to the official opposition in Parliament to the NRM's 214 seats. The remaining seats are variously shared between independents, ex-officio, army and special interest groups.