July 03, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Russia are satisfied with their president and prime minister, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 73 per cent of respondents approve of Dmitry Medvedev’s performance, while 83 per cent feel the same way about the work of Vladimir Putin.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Russia are satisfied with their president and prime minister, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 73 per cent of respondents approve of Dmitry Medvedev’s performance, while 83 per cent feel the same way about the work of Vladimir Putin.

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."

Russian voters renewed the State Duma in December 2007. 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. 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, 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 Jun. 25, Medvedev defined the two main challenges of his administration, saying, "First of all poverty, which we have not yet defeated. Resolving this problem is the main task for the government. We are going to work hard at this, using all of our economic might. The second problem is corruption. Corruption as a systemic challenge, as a threat to national security, as a problem which leads to a lack of faith among citizens in the ability of government to bring order and protect them."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s performance?

	Jun. 2008	May 2008
Approve	73%	70%
Disapprove	18%	20%

Do you approve or disapprove of Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin’s performance?

	Jun. 2008	May 2008
Approve	83%	80%
Disapprove	13%	15%

Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Jun. 20 to Jun.. 23, 2008. No margin of error was provided.