In the most recent example, Mayor David N. Dinkins's margin of victory in last year's New York mayoral race was much closer than the polls had projected.

Another poll, released February 25, projected also a statistical dead heat in Texas between the two.

The most recent polls project the party winning 28 of 150 seats in tomorrow's elections, up from 26 in a poll taken before Mr. Fortuyn's death.

The chamber's poll projected that the Mountain states would post the fastest growth, at 3.8 percent, Although their estimates vary, economists agree that Asian currency and economic problems constitute the chief unknown in the 1998 outlook.

But a survey of voters leaving the polls projected that Hamid Karzai, the current president, had received enough votes to avoid a runoff.

The monthly poll projected that information technology budgets would grow by 5.1 percent over the next 12 months - more optimistic than the 4.4 percent figure from the October survey.

Three other polls project a victory by her opponent, Cesar Maia, an economist of European descent.

In a speech to supporters gathered in a restaurant in Harlem last night, he said he was happy because he had won twice what some polls had projected he would win.

Early polls projected that most Hungarians, given a choice, would like to have a say in naming their head of state.

The polls projected far greater margins of victory for black candidates in two major races than they actually received.