November 24, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A party led by Vladimir Putin dominates the political landscape in Russia, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 56 per cent of respondents would vote for United Russia (YR) in next month’s election to the State Duma.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A party led by Vladimir Putin dominates the political landscape in Russia, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 56 per cent of respondents would vote for United Russia (YR) in next month’s election to the State Duma.

The Communist Party (KPRF) is a distant second with six per cent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with five per cent, and A Just Russia also with five 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."

Putin’s critics in Russia have noted that YR is basing its campaign on asking voters to "be with Putin" or "support Putin", rather than on issues or ideas. On Nov. 22, Kirill Kabanov—head of the National Anti-Corruption Committee advocacy group—said the party underestimates the intelligence of Russian voters and called the campaign "insulting", adding, "It’s not that the United Russia people behave as though privileged, it’s rather that they treat the rest of the people with contempt, as if they were unworthy of discussion."

Polling Data

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

	Nov. 18	Nov. 11	Oct. 21
United Russia (YR)	56%	50%	55%
Communist Party (KPRF)	6%	7%	6%
Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)	5%	6%	4%
A Just Russia	5%	4%	4%

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, 2007. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.