Poll: Russian presidential favourite Putin in commanding lead

Jan 20, 2012, 9:26 GMT

Moscow - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the favourite in Russia's March 4 presidential election, enjoys a commanding lead in a field of weak opponents, according to opinion polls published Friday.

The former KGB agent is supported by some 52 per cent of Russians, with his closest rival, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, only favoured by some 11 per cent of voters, pollsters from the research group All-Russian Centre of Study of Social Opinion (VTsIOM) said.

Nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky is credited with 9 per cent, while support for three other candidates - among them metals oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov - is at less than 4 per cent, the VTsIOM poll found.

Prokhorov, who is Russia's third-wealthiest citizen, in a campaign platform published on Friday said the country needed less-centralised government and fewer corrupt officials.

Russia saw massive anti-government demonstrations in major cities in December, sparked in part by allegations of vote fraud in a parliamentary election easily won by Putin's United Russia political party. Many of the protest participants were students, intellectuals and white collar workers wanting a more Western-style government.

Putin and his party nonetheless retain widespread support among Russia's more numerous working class and lower-income groups, who favour strong leadership by the Kremlin on domestic issues, and a tough foreign policy abroad.