A new poll released Tuesday morning shows the United Conservative Party still have a lead over the New Democrats heading into the upcoming provincial election, but the gap between the two leaders is narrowing.

According to Mainstreet Research, the UCP has a nearly a 25 per-cent jump over the governing NDP. But Premier Rachel Notley's approval rating is improving.

A poll done in November found a 35 per-cent gap between Notley and UCP leader Jason Kenney among decided voters. That number is down to 19 per-cent among decided voters. A provincial election has to happen before the end of May.

“The UCP is polling higher than Kenney's favourability numbers again this month, while Notley is polling above the NDP this month,” said Quito Maggi of Mainstreet Research. “This shows that Notley is clearly an asset to the NDP, while the same can't be said for Kenney and the UCP.”

The poll was conducted between Dec. 15 and 16, among a sample of Albertans 18 years of age or older. Mainstreet says the margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.28%.