Putin’s Party Practically Unbeatable in Russia

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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Putin’s Party Practically Unbeatable in Russia

November 18, 2007



(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The United Russia (YR) party led by current president Vladimir Putin is unrivalled in the country, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 67 per cent of respondents would vote for United Russia in next month’s parliamentary election, down one point since October.

The Communist Party (KPRF) is a distant second with 14 per cent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with six per cent, A Just Russia with four per cent, Yabloko (Liberal) with one per cent, and the Union of Right Forces (SPS) also with one 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. 15, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) announced that its election-observing team will abandon plans to monitor the December ballot due to Russia’s lack of cooperation. The group issues a statement, which read: "Despite repeated attempts to attain entry visas into the Russian Federation for experts and observers, entry visas have continuously been denied."

International observers from other monitoring bodies are still expected to overview the vote, including the Council of Europe.

Polling Data

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

(Decided Voters)

Nov. 2007
Oct. 2007

United Russia (YR)
67%
68%

Communist Party (KPRF)
14%
15%

Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)
6%
6%

A Just Russia
4%
5%

Yabloko (Liberal)
1%
1%

Union of Right Forces (SPS)
1%
1%

Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center

Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Nov. 9 to Nov. 13, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

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