Putin will get majority backing in presidential election - forecast
MOSCOW. Feb 24 (Interfax) - Almost three quarters (73%) of Russians said they are going to vote in the presidential election, with the majority planning to vote for the ruling party's candidate and current prime minister, Vladimir Putin, according to a survey conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM).
Putin could win the first round of the election, having mustered the support of 58.7% with a turnout at 61.8%, sociologists said in the findings posted on the pollster's website.
With the same turnout, Communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov will muster 16.2% of votes, Liberal Democrat Vladimir Zhirinovsky - 8.8%, independent Mikhail Prokhorov - 8.6%, and A Just Russia candidate Sergei Mironov - 6.1%.
Nine percent said they will not go to the polls on March 4; 18% are undecided.
Sixty-four percent of respondents in mid-February pointed to Putin when asked, "Do you in principle accept or rule out a possibility of voting for the following politician in the March 2012 presidential election?" This possibility was ruled out by 28% respondents.
Nineteen percent could vote for Zyuganov (72% rule out this possibility), 16% for Zhirinovsky (77%, accordingly), 14% for Mironov (74%), and 14% for Prokhorov (72%).
Meanwhile, the poll has shown that part of the respondents have decided on their candidate. Fifty percent responded Putin, 9% Zyuganov, 6% Zhirinovsky, 5% Prokhorov and 3% Mironov when asked, "If you vote in the presidential election, who will you vote for?"
The FOM sociologists have also made a list of most approved politicians. The list is led by Putin (57%), who is followed by Zyuganov (20%), Zhirinovsky (12%), Prokhorov (10%) and Mironov (9%).
The FOM poll was conducted among 3,000 respondents in 204 towns across 64 Russian regions on February 18-19.