Russians Divided Over Likelihood Of Fair Elections - Poll
Interfax - 3.7.12 - JRL 2012-44
Moscow, 7 March: The proportion of Russians who believe that fair elections can take place in the country has increased compared to 2000, from 31 per cent to 43 per cent. Those are the findings of an opinion poll carried out by the Romir company in February among 1,500 people living in Russia.
People with an optimistic view were to be found particularly among women, Russians aged 45 and over and those with high incomes.
Fifty per cent of Russians take a sceptical view of the possibility of fair elections in Russia (as against 60 per cent in 2000). People aged up to 35, as well as those with low incomes, are most likely to take this view.
Seven per cent struggled to provide a reply.
"A comparison between these two symbolic years, 2000 and 2012, each of which to a certain extent symbolizes the end of an era and the start of a new one, shows that Russians now have more trust in the state machine," Andrey Melekhin, president of the Romir company, noted.
In his opinion, "it is possible that the atmosphere of protest and the rallies are only mobilizing people into viewing the situation with the elections as being more transparent, open and, therefore, fair".
Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia News - Russia
Moscow, 7 March: The proportion of Russians who believe that fair elections can take place in the country has increased compared to 2000, from 31 per cent to 43 per cent. Those are the findings of an opinion poll carried out by the Romir company in February among 1,500 people living in Russia.
People with an optimistic view were to be found particularly among women, Russians aged 45 and over and those with high incomes.
Fifty per cent of Russians take a sceptical view of the possibility of fair elections in Russia (as against 60 per cent in 2000). People aged up to 35, as well as those with low incomes, are most likely to take this view.
Seven per cent struggled to provide a reply.
"A comparison between these two symbolic years, 2000 and 2012, each of which to a certain extent symbolizes the end of an era and the start of a new one, shows that Russians now have more trust in the state machine," Andrey Melekhin, president of the Romir company, noted.
In his opinion, "it is possible that the atmosphere of protest and the rallies are only mobilizing people into viewing the situation with the elections as being more transparent, open and, therefore, fair".