(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Russia believe this month’s legislative election was not fraudulent, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 69 per cent of respondents think the results of the State Duma ballot correspond to reality, and 71 per cent are satisfied with the election’s outcome.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Russia believe this month’s legislative election was not fraudulent, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 69 per cent of respondents think the results of the State Duma ballot correspond to reality, and 71 per cent are satisfied with the election’s outcome.
Vladimir Putin was elected to a second term as president in March 2004 with 71.31 per cent of all cast ballots. In April 2005, 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." The next presidential election in Russia is scheduled for Mar. 2, 2008.
Russian voters renewed the State Duma on Dec. 2. United Russia (YR)—whose candidate list was headed by Putin—secured 64.1 per cent of the vote and 315 of the legislature’s 450 seats. Under the country’s recently implemented proportional representation system, only three other political organizations—the Communist Party (KPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and A Just Russia—elected lawmakers to the lower house.
Earlier this month, Putin endorsed current deputy prime minister Dmitry Medvedev as a presidential candidate, and Medvedev said it would be of the "utmost importance" to have Putin as head of government.
On Dec. 18, Transparency International’s Yuly Nisnevich said the State Duma ballot was marred with fraud and intimidation, declaring, "I’d call this election a triumph of political corruption. I am afraid the fight against corruption has ended in our country."
Polling Data
Do you think the results of the State Duma election correspond to reality or are fraudulent?
|
Correspond to reality |
69% |
|
Are fraudulent |
9% |
|
Hard to answer |
22% |
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the results of the State Duma election?
|
Satisfied |
71% |
|
Dissatisfied |
17% |
|
Hard to answer |
13% |
Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Dec. 7 to Dec. 10, 2007. No margin of error was provided.
