February 13, 2006

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Scan) - Vladimir Putin maintains a high level of public backing in Russia, according to two recent public opinion polls. In a survey by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center, 75 per cent of respondents approve of their president's performance, up two points since December.

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Vladimir Putin maintains a high level of public backing in Russia, according to two recent public opinion polls. In a survey by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center, 75 per cent of respondents approve of their president's performance, up two points since December.

In a study by the Yury Levada Analytical Center, satisfaction with Putin stands at 71 per cent, down two points in a month.

Putin was elected to a second term 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."

On Feb. 9, Putin became the first head of state to invite Hamas—the winning faction in last month's Palestinian Legislative Council election—to an official meeting. Putin said Russia never considered Hamas a terrorist organization, adding, "We are ready in the near future to invite the Hamas authorities to Moscow to hold talks."

The Israeli government believes Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of 377 citizens in a variety of attacks, which include dozens of suicide bombings. Putin's invitation drew stern replies from Israeli government officials. Transportation minister Meir Setrit declared, "How would Russia react if we invited Chechens to Jerusalem? Russians preventing to organize free elections in Chechnya cannot give us lectures about morality."

Polling Data

a) Do you approve or disapprove of Vladimir Putin's performance as president?

	Jan. 2006	Dec. 2005	Nov. 2005
Approve	75%	73%	73%
Disapprove	17%	19%	19%

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Jan. 14 to Jan. 29, 2006. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

b) Do you approve or disapprove of Vladimir Putin's performance as president?

	Jan. 2006	Dec. 2005	Nov. 2005
Approve	71%	73%	76%
Disapprove	27%	25%	23%

Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24, 2006. No margin of error was provided.