LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's ruling centre-right coalition has further narrowed the gap to the opposition Socialists in a poll published on Friday, suggesting no clear winner at a general election in October.
The poll was the first to be published since President Anibal Cavaco Silva set the Oct. 4 election and highlighted his appeals for a stable government after the vote.
The survey by Eurosondagem pollsters found the centre-left Socialists had slipped 0.4 percentage points to 36.3 percent while the two ruling coalition parties together advanced 0.2 percentage points to 34.8 percent.
The result put the two sides well within the poll's margin of error of 3.05 percent.
The president announced the election date late last month and appealed to politicians to follow the example of European countries with coalition governments if there is a hung parliament.
Analysts have said the president could push for a so-called grand coalition between the Social Democrats and Socialists if there is no clear winner at the election. So far, both parties have rejected that scenario.
Other parties represented in parliament were far behind, with the Communists-Greens alliance on 10 percent and the Left Bloc on 5.0 percent.
Last year Lisbon exited an international bailout after emerging from a debt crisis and recession, but the government's popularity remains low following years of painful austerity it had to apply under the rescue deal. The Socialists have vowed to end austerity, but upholding the budget discipline.