The new party founded by former Christian Democrat MP Pieter Omtzigt is running neck and neck with the right-wing Liberal VVD in the latest opinion poll published by EenVandaag.

The survey, carried out by Ipsos at the start of September, puts Omtzigt’s party on 27 seats in the 150-seat parliament, with the VVD just behind on 26 – representing around 17% of the vote.

It is the first time Ipsos has carried out field research since Omtzigt launched NSC two weeks ago, on a platform of making government more transparent and tackling the cost of living.

Ipsos also has the Labour-GreenLeft alliance losing ground, with 20 seats. The farmers’ party BBB and the far-right PVV, led by Geert Wilders, are both projected to win 15.

Omtzigt’s support appears to come mainly at the expense of the BBB, who are down nine seats since the last poll in June – before NSC entered the race. The PVV lost four seats, the CDA one and the two left-wing parties are down by seven.

The Peilingwijzer ‘poll of polls’, run by political scientist Tom Louwerse, puts the NSC out in front with between 26 and 32 seats, while the VVD and left-wing block both have between 22 and 26.

The other major polling organisation, I&O, had NSC and the Labour-Green combination out in front in its last poll, with the VVD in third place.

That poll on August 24 was carried out shortly after Frans Timmermans was named as the lead candidate for the left-wing parties’ joint ticket, while the Ipsos poll coincided with the launch of the VVD’s manifesto last week by its new leader, caretaker justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz.

The coalition parties are projected to win 46 seats between them, with D66 taking 10 and the CDA and ChristenUnie each on five. The animal rights party PvdD have nine virtual seats or 6% of the vote, which would make them the sixth largest party.