MOSCOW - Two-thirds of Russians (65 percent) plan to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, and 35 percent of them will definitely do so, the Public Opinion Foundation said.
A fifth (21 percent) have no intention of voting, and 8 percent have yet to make up their mind, said the foundation, which polled 1,500 respondents in 104 populated localities in 53 Russian constituent territories on June 4-5.
In the event of hypothetical State Duma elections held next Sunday, 48 percent would vote for United Russia. A tenth are ready to support the Liberal Democratic Party (11 percent) or the Communist Party (10 percent), and 5 percent would give their votes to A Just Russia. One percent said they would spoil ballot papers. Ten percent of 3,000 participants in another poll held by the Public Opinion Foundation in 207 populated localities in 73 constituent territories on June 4-5 were undecided.
Similar results have been posted by sociologists from the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM).
Asked which party they would favor in hypothetical State Duma elections held next Sunday, 47 percent said it would be United Russia, 10 percent named the Liberal Democratic Party or the Communist Party, and 5 percent A Just Russia. One percent said they would spoil ballot papers. Seven percent were undecided. VTsIOM held its poll amongst 1,600 persons in 130 populated localities in 42 regions, territories and republics of Russia on June 5.
The Seventh State Duma will be elected on a single ballot day on September 18, 2016, in accordance with the 2014 law which restores the mixed electoral system for the lower parliament chamber. According to that law, half of 450 deputies will be elected on party tickets and the other half in single-member constituencies. The law lowered the elections threshold from 7 percent to 5 percent.
