August 11, 2003

Abstract: (CPOD) Aug.11, 2003 - Vladimir Putin keeps an almost insurmountable lead in the 2004 presidential race in Russia, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. 50 per cent of respondents would vote for the current president.

(CPOD) Aug.11, 2003 - Vladimir Putin keeps an almost insurmountable lead in the 2004 presidential race in Russia, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. 50 per cent of respondents would vote for the current president.

Putin's closest competitor is leader of the Russian Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov, with 12 per cent. The rest of the possible candidates - led by controversial Liberal leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky - are below 5 per cent.

Russians will go to the polls on Dec. 7 to renew the State Duma. The presidential election is slated for Mar. 14, 2004.

Polling Data

If the presidential election were held this week, what candidate would you vote for?

	Aug. 2003	Jul. 2003
Vladimir Putin	50%	48%
Gennady Zyuganov	12%	14%
Vladimir Zhirinovsky	5%	5%
Aman Tuleyev	2%	3%
Grigory Yavlinsky	2%	2%
Sergei Shoigu	2%	2%
Yevgeny Primakov	1%	2%
Yuri Luzhkov	1%	1%
Boris Nemtsov	1%	1%

Source: Public Opinion Foundation
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews to 1,500 Russians, conducted on Aug 2 and Aug. 3, 2003. Margin of error is 3.8 per cent.