MOSCOW, October 27 (Itar-Tass) ---The Russians did not change their party preferences despite the fact that the State Duma election campaign lasts already for about two months. If these preferences do not alter until December 4 only three parties – United Russia, the Communist Party and the Liberal Democratic Party will have their factions in a next State Duma. Meanwhile, United Russia will have a constitutional majority again. The Levada Center has found this mood in the society as a result of the recent sociological survey.
Ordinary people did not change their interest to the parliamentary elections, the Kommersant writes. A third of Russians still are not going to vote in the elections. Some 11% of respondents are strongly convinced that they will not vote in the elections, because “all will be decided’ without them and they cannot find any party to vote for from seven parties (12% of this category of respondents were in September). Some 1.7% are going to participate in the elections just to spoil the ballot papers (one percent in September). The percentage of those who are still undecided whether or not to vote did not change – nine percent, the percentage of those who will vote in the elections, but are still undecided for which party to vote (12%). “If they do not make up their minds for which party to vote next month they will not vote,” deputy director of the Levada Center Alexei Grazhdankin told the newspaper. The Levada Center has conducted a public opinion poll among 1,586 people from 130 settlements in 45 regions on October 21-24. A statistical margin of error makes 3.4%.
The preferences did not change among those who know for sure for whom to vote. United Russia is leading with 60% of pollsters (59% in September) ready to vote for the party. The Communist Party is coming second with 17% (18% in September). The Liberal Democratic Party is ranked third with 11% (9% in September). No more party clears a 7% election hurdle so far in order to create a faction in the sixth State Duma. Just Russia can claim for one deputy seat with five percent ready to vote for the party as it was the case in September (seven percent which guaranteed two mandates to the party were ready to vote for the party in September). Yabloko did not find any more voters ready to vote for the party (two percent), and the Patriots of Russia and Right Cause (by one percent of respondents). Should the election be held next Sunday, United Russia would have gained 306 seats, the Communists – 86 seats and the Liberal Democrats – 58 seats in the next State Duma. Alexei Grazhdankin believes that the canvassing campaign will not change substantially the current preferences of the Russians in November. Just Russia may get close again to seven percent and Yabloko may get 3-3.5%.
The Levada Center sociologists also found out with what animals the Russians associate the political leaders, the RBC daily writes. To expose the flaws of a politician in the electorate his PR team uses the practiced ways of associations with the animals. The larger the animal is the more influential the politician is. Russia began to conduct similar surveys 15 years ago. The PR team of the politician used to make associations for internal use. They were seeking to find the idea about a politician in the electorate, vulnerable points in the image and the trend of its development.
“The stronger the animal is, the stronger the politician associated with the animal is,” the newspaper quoted Alexei Grazhdankin as saying. For instance, Dmitry Medvedev is associated with bear among the Russians. Vladimir Putin is associated with lion in the imagination of the Russians.
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov is associated with elephant and bull. LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky is associated with monkey. Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov looks like a cat, according to the respondents. Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky is strongly associated with hare.