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United Russia, Communist Party still most popular in Russia - polls

MOSCOW. Oct 16 (Interfax) - United Russia and the Communist Party still top the list of Russia's most popular parties in the current parliamentary election campaign, polls conducted by the Pubic Opinion Foundation and the autonomous non-profit organization National Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) show.

The Public Opinion Foundation conducted its poll on October 11-12 in 63 regions of Russia (3,000 people were surveyed). The statistical margin of error of this poll is less than 3.6%.

The respondents were asked the following question: "If you were to vote in the Duma elections this coming December, which of the parties mentioned below would you vote for?"

United Russia was mentioned by 20% of the respondents, the Communist Party by 18% and the Liberal Democratic Party by 7%. Four percent of the respondents gave preference to the Union of Right Forces and Yabloko, 2% to the Agrarian Party, the Rodina bloc, and the bloc the Party of Russia's Revival-Russian Party of Life. The People's Party and the bloc Great Russia-Eurasian Union received 1% each.

Five percent of the respondents said they would vote against all candidates. An estimated 13% of the respondents said they will not vote at all and 21% said they are still undecided.

The poll conducted by VTsIOM showed about the same number of voters ready to vote for United Russia and the Communist Party.

In response to the question: Which of the following parties (movements) would you most likely vote for in the upcoming parliamentary elections if they were to be held this coming Sunday?," 26% of the respondents said they would vote for United Russia and anther 26% for the Communist Party.

Yabloko and the Liberal Democratic Party received 5% each, the Union of Right Forces 4%, the bloc Rodina 3%, the Agrarian Party 2% and the bloc the Party of Russia's Revival-Russian Party of Life, the Green Party, and the People's Party 1% each.

Five percent of the respondents said they wold vote against all candidates and 20% said they were undecided.

The results obtained by VTsIOM are based on the responses given by respondents who said they intend to vote (66% of the total number of respondents surveyed).

VTsIOM's poll was conducted on October 10-13. The statistical margin of error was within 3.4%.