November 26, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Although United Russia (YR) was already popular, the party has significantly increased its chances of securing a massive majority in Sunday’s election to the State Duma after it included the name of Vladimir Putin on its list, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. 62 per cent of respondents would back the Russian president’s party in the upcoming ballot, up 16 points since July.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Although United Russia (YR) was already popular, the party has significantly increased its chances of securing a massive majority in Sunday’s election to the State Duma after it included the name of Vladimir Putin on its list, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. 62 per cent of respondents would back the Russian president’s party in the upcoming ballot, up 16 points since July.

The Communist Party (KPRF) is second with 11 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with 10 per cent, A Just Russia with 7.5 per cent, the Agrarian Party of Russia (APR) with 2.5 per cent, Yabloko (Liberal) with 1.5 per cent, and Union of Right Forces (SPS) also with 1.5 per cent.

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.

The next 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. In the 2003 election, only four political parties—United Russia, the KPRF, the LDPR and the Motherland - National Patriotic Union (MDRT)—received more than seven per cent of the vote.

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

On Nov. 23, the SPS nominated Boris Nemtsov as its presidential candidate. Nemtsov is regarded as one of the architects of post-Soviet economic reform in Russia, and worked as deputy prime minister during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin. The candidate’s first advice to his followers was urging them to work as watchdogs of the state security forces, saying, "It is necessary to force the authorities to respect the constitution."

Polling Data

How would you vote if there were parliamentary elections this Sunday? Which party would you be most likely to support?
(Likely Voters)

	Nov. 2007	Jul. 2007
United Russia (YR)	62%	46%
Communist Party (KPRF)	11%	9%
Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)	10%	9%
A Just Russia	7.5%	7%
Agrarian Party of Russia (APR)	2.5%	2%
Yabloko (Liberal)	1.5%	1%
Union of Right Forces (SPS)	1.5%	1%

Source: Public Opinion Foundation
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,500 Russian adults, conducted on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, 2007. Margin of error is 3.6 per cent.