(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The decision of Russian president Vladimir Putin to lead United Russia (YR) into the next legislative election has given clear momentum to the party, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 68 per cent of respondents would vote for the pro-Kremlin party in this year’s ballot, up 14 points since July.

The Communist Party (KPRF) is a distant second with 15 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with six per cent, A Just Russia with five per cent, and both Yabloko (Liberal) and the Union of Right Forces (SPS) with one 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."

On Oct. 14, Garry Kasparov—a former chess champion and a presidential candidate for the opposition Other Russia movement—discussed the current state of Russia’s democracy, stating, "We’re not fighting to win elections, we’re fighting to have elections. (...) The regime is facing an ultimate crisis and it might be even sooner than we expect. It’s important that we are there when the crisis emerges."

Polling Data

Imagine that parliamentary elections will be held again this Sunday. Which of the following parties would you vote for?
(Decided Voters)

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.