Russia's President Vladimir Putin, standing, and First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, sitting
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Medvedev Outpaced Putin in Presidential Rating
Some 79 percent of the nation is ready to vote for First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is the United Russia’s candidate at presidential elections, Vedomosti reported with reference to the poll of December 21 to 25. If the elections were held this Sunday, Medvedev would get more votes than Putin had in 2004 (71.31 percent).
The rating of other candidates is going down. Some 9 percent would vote for LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the RF (CPRF), would get the same 9 percent. No more than 2 percent would support Russia’s former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov.
But only 35 percent favored Medvedev in mid-December. Medvedev’s popularity gained momentum once Russia’s President Vladimir Putin publically favored him December 10.
The analysts don’t think Medvedev will win by 79 percent in the presidential elections of March 2. But he may repeat the result that Putin achieved in 2004.
In the lack of serious competitors, this popularity of Russia’s first deputy prime minister isn’t surprising. The baggage of other candidates, Zhirinovsky and Zyuganov, is heavy and negative, while the democratic parties failed to put forward a single candidate.
The polls of All-Russia’s Center of Public Opinion Studies confirm the surge in Medvedev’s popularity. Judging by the latest survey, some 52 percent of respondents will vote for him now vs. 27 percent in mid.-December and 17 percent in November.
www.kommersant.com
|
|
|
