(05/27/10) -

Russians Want to Stick with Governing Party

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in Russia would support the governing party in the next election to the State Duma, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 54 per cent of respondents would vote for United Russia (YR) in the next ballot, up two points since April.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in Russia would support the governing party in the next election to the State Duma, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 54 per cent of respondents would vote for United Russia (YR) in the next ballot, up two points since April.

The Communist Party (KPRF) is a distant second with eight per cent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with five per cent, and the opposition movement A Just Russia with four per cent.

Russian voters renewed the State Duma in December 2007. United Russia—whose candidate list was headed by then president Vladimir Putin—secured 64.1 per cent of the vote and 315 of the legislature’s 450 seats. On that same month, Putin endorsed Dmitry 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.

Earlier this month, Putin rejected accusations that Medvedev is a puppet president who is easily manipulated by him, saying, "Our actions are guided exclusively in the interests of our country and the Russian people. We divide up our competencies in accordance with the constitution and Russian legislation."

Polling Data

Which party would you vote for in the election to the State Duma?