(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Dmitry Medvedev, the overwhelming favourite to win this year’s presidential election in Russia, has clearly benefited from Vladimir Putin’s endorsement, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 42 per cent of respondents think the greatest strength of Medvedev is his closeness to the current president—more important than being energetic, professional and intelligent.

Less than ten per cent of respondents report seeing weaknesses in Medvedev, such as having no experience in state matters and doing little.

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.

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. Under the country’s recently implemented proportional representation system, only three other political organizations—the Communist Party (KPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and A Just Russia—elected lawmakers to the lower house.

Last month, Putin endorsed Medvedev as a presidential candidate, and Medvedev said it would be of the "utmost importance" to have Putin as prime minister.

On Jan. 17, Medvedev denied accusations that the government would nationalize Russia’s economy and said the state would not "grab everything for itself," adding, "We have come to create state corporations in some priority fields, but that doesn’t mean a change of course or the renunciation of a market economy, not in the least."

Polling Data

In your view, what are the strengths of Dmitry Medvedev?
(Several answers allowed)

In your view, what are the weaknesses of Dmitry Medvedev?
(Several answers allowed)

Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Dec. 21 to Dec. 24, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

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