Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s decision to run for a third term as president in 2012 has failed to halt a slide in support for his United Russia party ahead of December parliamentary elections, a poll showed.
United Russia is seeking to retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house in a vote that will test how much rising inflation, unemployment and resentment of the “party of power” have sapped its support ahead of Putin’s stand in next year’s presidential election.
Kremlin officials cited by leading daily Vedomosti on Thursday said United Russia should set its election target at winning 65 percent of the vote on December 4. after the party secured 64.3 percent of the vote in 2007, Reuters reports.
But the poll by the independent Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) — one of the first since Putin announced plans to swap jobs with President Dmitry Medvedev on September 24 — showed only 41 percent of those polled on October 9 would vote for United Russia.
A September poll by independent pollster Levada showed support for the party was at 57 percent, down from 60 percent in February.
A weak showing in December elections may dent Putin’s image but he would still be likely to win the presidency because he is far more popular than the party.
The poll, which surveyed 1,500 respondents across Russia, showed 52 percent of Russians “trusted” Putin compared with 43 percent who “trusted” Medvedev. Both numbers grew slightly in the past month.
