Moscow residents are most likely to back President Vladimir Putin and the pro-Putin ruling party despite their tepid support for both, an independent poll published Tuesday has said.
The Levada Center polling agency's latest results come four months ahead of key parliamentary elections in which the United Russia party seeks to maintain a supermajority despite historically low approval ratings.
According to Levada, 40% of Muscovites would vote for Putin and 15% would vote for United Russia candidates if the elections were held this Sunday.
Among likely voters in the capital, Putin received 56% and United Russia 28% of support.
Levada’s results show both the president and the party that consistently backs his legislative initiatives maintaining comfortable leads over their biggest competitors. Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was the second-most popular presidential candidate with 5% support among Moscow respondents, while the nationalist Liberal Demoratic Party was the second most-popular party at 10%.
Putin received a record-setting 76.7% of the vote in his re-election for a fourth overall term in 2018. United Russia received 54% in the last parliamentary election in 2016.
The highly anticipated vote for Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, takes place this September, with United Russia vying to overcome its low ratings and keep its supermajority of nearly 75% of seats.
The next presidential election takes place in 2024.
A key mystery in that race is whether Putin will take advantage of a carve-out under Russia’s new Constitution that allows him to run for two more six-year terms, potentially staying on until 2036.
Putin has said he has not yet decided whether he will run again.
Levada conducted its computer-assisted personal interview with 505 Muscovites between April 15-26.
