(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A large majority of people in Russia think president Dmitry Medvedev governs under the influence of former president and current prime minister Vladimir Putin, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 67 per cent of respondents say Medvedev conducts policy guided by Putin.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A large majority of people in Russia think president Dmitry Medvedev governs under the influence of former president and current prime minister Vladimir Putin, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 67 per cent of respondents say Medvedev conducts policy guided by Putin.
Russian voters renewed the State Duma in December 2007. United Russia (YR)—whose candidate list was headed by then president Putin—secured 64.1 per cent of the vote and 315 of the legislature’s 450 seats. On that same month, Putin endorsed Medvedev as a presidential candidate, and Medvedev said it would be of the "utmost importance" to have Putin as prime minister.
In March 2008, Medvedev easily won Russia’s presidential election with 70.28 per cent of the vote. In May, Medvedev was sworn in as president. His nomination of Putin as prime minister was confirmed by the State Duma in a 392-56 vote.
On Sept. 24, Medvedev said that he may run for re-election in 2012, but acknowledged that he would not mind switching jobs with Putin, declaring, "If it is useful for the country, I am ready to work in any position. The job of a president is a rather difficult thing. I can also tell you that the job of a prime minister is also a difficult thing. So there’s not much difference in this sense."
Putin—who served as president from 2000 to 2008—is not constitutionally barred from running in the 2012 election.
Polling Data
Do you think Dmitry Medvedev conducts policy in an independent fashion, or does he act under the influence of Vladimir Putin and his inner circle?
|
In an independent fashion |
20% |
|
Under the influence of Putin |
67% |
|
Hard to answer |
13% |
Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Sept. 18 to Sept. 21, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
