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United Russia Alone on Top in Legislative Race
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A pro-Kremlin party is the clear frontrunner in Russia, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 46 per cent of respondents would back United Russia (YR) in this year's election to the State Duma.
The Communist Party (KPRF) is a distant second with seven per cent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and A Just Russia, both with five per cent.
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 is tentatively scheduled for March 2008.
The next election to the State Duma is scheduled for Dec. 2. For the first time, all 450 lawmakers will be chosen through party-list proportional representation, with a seven per cent threshold. In the 2003 election, only four political parties—United Russia, the KPRF, the LDPR and the Motherland - National Patriotic Union (MDRT)—received more than seven per cent of the vote.
On Jul. 27, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev discussed Russia's current political situation and accused the government of falling back on democratic reforms and freedoms. Gorbachev also criticized the Other Russia movement, led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov, saying it is only "making a bit of noise" and deeming it "a very weak opposition."
Polling Data
Which party would you vote for in the election to the State Duma?
Jul. 22 | Jul. 15 | Jul. 8 | |
United Russia (YR) | 46% | 46% | 50% |
Communist Party (KPRF) | 7% | 7% | 8% |
Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) | 5% | 6% | 6% |
A Just Russia | 5% | 4% | 5% |
Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted on Jul. 21 and Jul. 22, 2007. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.