Most Russians strongly and increasingly distrust elections as an institution, according to the results of a recent poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation. Today only 35% of those surveyed believe that elections reflect public opinion accurately, while many more (50%) think they do not. Respondents' opinions about elections do not show any correlations with age groups, income levels, education or place of residence. However, opinions do strongly correspond with respondents' attitudes towards President Vladimir Putin: those who distrust Putin distrust elections 76% of the time, and those who trust him are also distrustful of elections, but to a lesser extent (42%).

Russians' increasing distrust in elections is illustrated by the changing description of their own electoral behavior. The percentage of respondents who say that they `always' vote in elections has decreased from 49% in 2003 to 34% today. Twenty percent (18% in 2003) say they `often' vote, while 27% say they `rarely' do so and 16% say that they `never' vote (compared to 21% and 10%, respectively, in 2003).

Peoples' opinions about Russian parliamentary elections is similar to what they think about elections in general: 26% of those surveyed believe parliamentary elections in Russia have been free and fair over the past fifteen years, and 34% think that these elections were mostly not free or fair.

Six percent of all adult Russians know or have heard about cases in which procedures were violated during the last parliamentary elections. The violations they witnessed or were told about included bribing voters ("they gave us money, and our whole neighborhood drank for a week"), forced voting ("they demanded that you sign a pledge to vote for a certain candidate, otherwise they would fire you"), campaigning continued at the polling station while ballots were filled ("they told people who to vote for"), filling and casting votes in the name of persons who didn't come or even were dead ("only five people on our street voted, but the records say everyone voted, including me"; "somebody cast a ballot for my parents - and they're dead"), and ballot rigging ("I gave a ride to a member of the audit chamber, an I know how they counted the votes").

We asked respondents who believe parliamentary elections have generally been unfair over the past 15 years to suggest ways to make elections free and fair. Most of the time, respondents suggested tighter control and supervision (4%), fighting violations and corruption, tougher punishment for fraud (4%), better public relations and campaigning ("we cast our votes for persons we don't even know. Meetings should be held in every region for voters to get to know their candidates" – 1%). Some insisted that the whole electoral and even political system of Russia should be changed ("the whole of our society has to be changed"; "the electoral system should be changed"; "everything should be changed, beginning with the Duma itself" – 2%). Others placed their hopes in honest candidates and electoral commission members ("candidates should be fair"; "only honest people should be appointed to election commissions" – 4% ).

Most Russians (61%) think the parliamentary elections in December 2007 won't be any different. Only small groups of respondents (7% each) expect them to be more free and fair or less free and fair. The distribution of expectations was similar in the run-up to the 2003 elections.

Yelena Vovk

1. Election in Russia: General Views

/

How often do you vote: always, often, rarely or never?

Some believe that elections reflect public opinion, while others say they don't. Which of these two views is closest to your own?

total

How often do you vote?

	...always	...often	...rarely	...never

2. The Last State Duma Elections and Upcoming Elections

/

Did you, your friends or relative(s) ever encounter any cases in which voting results in Russia' most recent State Duma elections were falsified?

total

How often do you vote?

	...always	...often	...rarely	...never

In general, do you believe parliamentary elections in Russia have been free and fair over the past fifteen years?

total

How often do you vote?

	...always	...often	...rarely	...never

Do you think the December State Duma elections will be more, less or equally free and fair as previous elections?

How often do you vote: always, often, rarely or never?

		Trust in Putin												Income			Residence
		full trust	partial trust							elementary		vocational		2000 rubles and less	2001 - 4000 rubles	over 4000 rubles		megacity
Categories of respondents, %	100	65	23	9	46	54	37	37	27	14	35	33	18	23	28	22	8	12	17	38	25
always	34	38	29	20	30	37	20	33	53	37	26	35	43	39	38	32	40	36	23	31	41
often	20	23	18	9	21	20	17	24	20	19	18	24	20	21	24	22	14	17	23	22	20
seldom	27	25	32	35	27	28	33	30	16	24	31	27	24	26	23	33	28	32	34	27	21
never	16	12	18	33	19	13	25	13	8	18	20	12	12	12	13	13	15	13	18	17	15
hard to answer	3	2	3	4	3	2	4	1	3	2	4	2	2	2	3	1	3	1	1	3	3

Some believe that elections reflect public opinion, while others say they don't. Which of these two views is closest to your own?

		Trust in Putin												Income			Residence
		full trust	partial trust							elementary		vocational		2000 rubles and less	2001 - 4000 rubles	over 4000 rubles		megacity
Categories of respondents, %	100	65	23	9	46	54	37	37	27	14	35	33	18	23	28	22	8	12	17	38	25
first	35	42	24	13	35	35	38	34	37	33	36	33	37	36	36	38	29	36	32	39
second	50	42	63	76	50	51	44	57	49	40	51	50	58	48	49	54	56	58	52	51	44
hard to answer	15	16	13	11	15	15	18	12	16	23	16	14	9	15	16	9	7	14	12	17	17

Did you, your friends or relative(s) ever encounter any cases in which voting results in Russia' most recent State Duma elections were falsified?

		Trust in Putin												Income			Residence
		full trust	partial trust							elementary		vocational		2000 rubles and less	2001 - 4000 rubles	over 4000 rubles		megacity
Categories of respondents, %	100	65	23	9	46	54	37	37	27	14	35	33	18	23	28	22	8	12	17	38	25
I did	3	2	3	8	3	2	2	3	3	1	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	4	3	2
my friends and relatives did	2	2	3	4	2	3	3	2	2	0	3	2	3	1	1	4	1	5	2	3	1
I did, and so did my friends and relatives	1	1	1	0	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1
neither my friends, nor my friends/relatives	73	77	69	52	70	75	72	70	77	77	70	75	72	73	74	73	70	77	77	68	76
hard to answer	21	17	25	36	23	20	22	23	17	22	23	20	19	21	21	20	25	15	15	26	21

In general, do you believe parliamentary elections in Russia have been free and fair over the past fifteen years?

		Trust in Putin												Income			Residence
		full trust	partial trust							elementary		vocational		2000 rubles and less	2001 - 4000 rubles	over 4000 rubles		megacity
Categories of respondents, %	100	65	23	9	46	54	37	37	27	14	35	33	18	23	28	22	8	12	17	38	25
free and fair	26	32	18	6	25	27	28	26	24	21	27	29	25	30	27	27	23	26	26	25	29
not free or fair	34	27	45	66	37	32	28	38	38	32	33	34	40	34	31	40	45	37	40	30	32
hard to answer	39	41	36	28	38	41	44	36	38	47	41	37	35	36	43	33	32	37	35	45	39

Do you think the December State Duma elections will be more, less or equally free and fair as previous elections?

	Trust in Putin												Income			Residence
	full trust	partial trust							elementary		vocational		2000 rubles and less	2001 - 4000 rubles	over 4000 rubles		megacity
Categories of respondents, %	100	65	23	9	46	54	37	37	27	14	35	33	18	23	28	22	8	12	17	38	25
more free and fair	7	9	4	2	7	7	7	6	8	8	5	7	10	8	8	6	6	9	5	7	8
the same as before	61	59	65	63	59	62	64	60	57	50	58	62	70	56	59	66	68	65	72	59	50
less free and fair	7	6	6	16	9	6	6	9	7	4	8	7	9	5	7	9	13	7	9	6	7
hard to answer	25	25	25	19	24	26	23	25	28	38	28	24	11	32	26	18	13	19	14	28	35

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POF database > Projects > Dominants. Opinion Field > Dominants 21, May 24, 2007 > Election Procedures in Russia > Election Procedures in Russia