November 16, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The United Russia (YR) party remains the single most powerful political organization in the Russian Federation despite a drop in support, according to a poll by All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 50 per cent of respondents would vote for United Russia in next month’s election to the State Duma, down five points since late October.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The United Russia (YR) party remains the single most powerful political organization in the Russian Federation despite a drop in support, according to a poll by All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 50 per cent of respondents would vote for United Russia in next month’s election to the State Duma, down five points since late October.

The Communist Party (KPRF) is second with seven per cent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with six per cent, and the opposition movement A Just Russia with four per cent.

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.

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."

Yesterday, the opposition Union of Right Forces (SPS) asked Russia’s Supreme Court to disqualify Putin from running in the upcoming ballot, alleging that his name gives United Russia an unfair advantage. SPS leader Nikita Belykh announced the decision, saying, "Our party filed a suit with the Supreme Court asking it to exclude Vladimir Putin from United Russia’s list of candidates for the parliamentary election."

Polling Data

Which party would you vote for in the election to the State Duma?

	Nov. 11	Oct. 21	Oct. 7
United Russia (YR)	50%	55%	54%
Communist Party (KPRF)	7%	6%	6%
Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)	6%	4%	5%
A Just Russia	4%	4%	3%

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11, 2007. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.