(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Dmitry Medvedev is the clear frontrunner in Russia’s presidential race, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 45 per cent of respondents would vote for the pro-Kremlin contender in next year’s ballot.

Communist Party (KPRF) leader Gennady Zyuganov and Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky are tied for second place with five per cent, while just one per cent of respondents would vote for either former prime minister Mikhail Fradkov or Boris Nemtsov of the Union of Right Forces (SPS).

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 in Russia is scheduled for Mar. 2, 2008.

Earlier this month, Putin endorsed current deputy prime minister Medvedev as a presidential candidate, and Medvedev said it would be of the "utmost importance" to have Putin as head of government.

Medvedev has served as deputy prime minister since November 2005. 55 per cent of respondents expect Medvedev to earn a substantial victory in the election.

Yesterday, Medvedev discussed some of his priorities, saying, "The set of measures may be changing, but it is obvious that the projects will remain, because there is still much work to do. (...) It is necessary to transfer to full-fledged, complex decisions and actively use the accumulated experience for the modernization of the corresponding sectors."

Polling Data

If the presidential election were conducted this Sunday, which of these candidates would you vote for?

How would you rate Dmitry Medvedev’s chances in the election?

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted on Dec. 15 and Dec. 16. 2007. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

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