(CPOD) Sept. 24, 2004 - The plan presented by Vladimir Putin to cancel the election of governors by popular vote has divided public opinion in Russia, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 48 per cent of respondents disagree with the president's proposal.

On Sept. 13, Putin called for the elimination of direct elections for Russia's 89 governors, who would be nominated by the head of state and approved by regional legislatures. The president said that security concerns prompted the proposal, saying, "The fight against terrorism requires the co-operation of all government departments."

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former Russian president Boris Yeltsin have publicly criticized Putin's plan.

Polling Data

Do you agree that in order to guarantee the unity of the state it is necessary to cancel the election of governors by popular vote and replace it with governors' election by legislative assemblies in line with the presidential approval?

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