(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Vladimir Putin continues to dominate Russia’s political scene, according to a poll by Bashkirova & Partners. 49.1 per cent of respondents would support the current head of state in a new presidential election.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Vladimir Putin continues to dominate Russia’s political scene, according to a poll by Bashkirova & Partners. 49.1 per cent of respondents would support the current head of state in a new presidential election.
Putin was elected to a second term in March 2004 with 71.31 per cent of all cast ballots. On Apr. 11, Putin ruled out seeking a new mandate, saying, “I will not change the constitution and in line with the constitution, you cannot run for president three times in a row.”
Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) is a distant second with six per cent, followed by Communist Party (KPRF) leader Gennady Zyuganov, emergencies minister Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Glazyev of For a Dignified Life, Dmitri Rogozin of the Motherland – National Patriotic Union (MDRT) and State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov.
Earlier this month, United Russia (YR) State Duma member Alexander Moskalets introduced a legislative amendment that could conceivably allow Putin to become a presidential contender once again. The proposal would allow Putin to run if he were to step down before the end of his second term, or in the event of a presidential election deemed invalid because of a low turnout.
Rogozin immediately criticized the proposal, saying, “They have decided to come up with various scenarios that would enable the president to stay on beyond 2008, because otherwise they will fear for their personal interests.”
Polling Data
If presidential elections were held the coming Sunday, whom would you vote for of the politicians listed below?
Vladimir Putin | 49.1% |
Vladimir Zhirinovsky | 6.0% |
Gennady Zyuganov | 5.6% |
Sergei Shoigu | 3.7% |
Sergei Glazyev | 3.7% |
Dmitri Rogozin | 2.3% |
Boris Gryzlov | 1.1% |
Grigory Yavlinsky | 1.0% |
Irina Khakamada | 1.0% |
Alexander Zhukov | 0.5% |
Nikolai Kharitonov | 0.5% |
Other | 0.6% |
Would not vote | 8.7% |
Don’t know | 6.9% |
Source: Bashkirova & Partners
Methodology: Interviews to 1,500 Russian adults, conducted from Jun. 16 to Jun. 19, 2005. No margin of error was provided.
