October 29, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Two-in-five adults in Russia would like to see several parties with a chance to make a difference in the country’s political scene, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 40 per cent of respondents believe there should be two or three large parties in Russia.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Two-in-five adults in Russia would like to see several parties with a chance to make a difference in the country’s political scene, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 40 per cent of respondents believe there should be two or three large parties in Russia.

Conversely, 28 per cent of respondents think the country only needs one strong political party, nine per cent call for many relatively small parties, and seven per cent believe no parties are necessary.

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.

On Oct. 1, Putin accepted an offer to lead the United Russia (YR) list in this year’s election to the State Duma, and called the possibility of becoming prime minister "entirely realistic."

The 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. According to recent voting intention polls, United Russia is expected to dominate the contest, with support for three other parties—the Communist Party (KPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and A Just Russia—lagging below the 10 per cent mark.

On Oct. 20, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was elected to lead a new political movement called Union of Social Democrats. The group will not participate in the upcoming State Duma election, but is expected to become a political party in the future. Gorbachev said he accepted the nomination partly because he fears democratic institutions in Russia are threatened, adding, "Primarily, this is linked to deformation of parliamentarism when one political force dominates."

Earlier this month, Russia’s Central Election Committee banned the Green Party, the People’s Union and the Party for Peace and Unity from contesting the State Duma election, claiming their registers contained falsified signatures.

Polling Data

In your view, how many political parties are necessary in Russia?

	Oct. 2007	Apr. 2007
One strong ruling party	28%	30%
Two or three large parties	40%	46%
Many relatively small parties	9%	7%
No parties are necessary	7%	6%
Hard to answer	17%	13%

Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Oct. 5 to Oct. 10, 2007. No margin of error was provided.