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Sixty two percent of Russians say they support activities of Vladimir Putin

The surveyed also said about Putin’s most attractive features, naming his political experience (47%), energy and determination (33%), and vision (22%)

MOSCOW, October 18 (Itar-Tass World Service) - The rating of supporting President Vladimir Putin’s activities over recent months has remained at about the same level of slightly over 60 percent. Izvestia publishes results of a survey, the All-Russian Centre of Public Opinion Studies, WCIOM (Russia’s oldest polling institution), conducted in October. The results demonstrate that 62% of the surveyed support the president.

The surveyed also said about Putin’s most attractive features, naming his political experience (47%), energy and determination (33%), and vision (22%).

The most important feature associated with the Russian leader is justice (21%). It is followed by authority (20%) and management experience (19%); while honesty (18%) took only the fourth position.

The respondents said they respect (36%), feel hope (26%) and express trust (19%) to the president. Over latest six months the share of respondents who believe Putin is able to fulfill his election promises has grown. In April, only 21% believed so, while now the survey demonstrates the result of 32%. The share of those who believe the president will be able to carry out only a small part of his promises has declined from 61% to 46%, and 17% are sure the president is unable to implement his promises (in April - eleven percent).

The polling institution’s Director General Valery Fedotov relates the stable level of support for the president with stabilization of the domestic political situation.

“It would not be correct to claim the president’s rating is absolutely static. However, it reacts only to major political events and processes. For example, it declined over the 2008 crisis, during the unrest of 2011. But it has been stable since last autumn. I would like to highlight the new data concerning results from implementation of the election promises. A year earlier, the people were not that optimistic. The power must have reacted to the demand and realized it is unacceptable to give up everything. This is what the people approve of,” Fedotov said.

Dean of the Sociology and Political Sciences and the government’s Financial University Alexander Shatilov shares the view.

“The stable rating proves Vladimir Putin would be able to run successfully for presidency, should he want it, as realistically there is no alternative for him,” he said.

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