Putin supported by 49 percent of Russians

If presidential elections took place next Sunday in Russia, Vladimir Putinwould receive 49 percent of Russians' votes. These are the results of anopinion poll, held by the Public Opinion Foundation in 100 inhabitedlocations of 44 regions and republics of the Russian Federation on August17-18, 2002. 1,500 respondents participated in the poll. According to theseresults, Gennady Zyuganov, the Communist leader, would be supported by 13percent of pollees, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the LD leader, by 6 percent,and Aman Tuleyev, the governor of the Kemerovo region, by 3 percent.Emergencies Minister Sergey Shoigu, Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky andYevgeny Primakov, the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, wouldmuster 2 percent each.At the same time, the poll conducted in Moscow among 600 respondents,demonstrated that Putin would be supported by 43 percent of Muscovites,Zyuganov by 9 percent, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov by 7 percent, Primakov andYavlinsky by 6 percent each, Zhirinovsky and Shoigu by 3 percent each andTuleyev by 2 percent of Muscovites.Putin's activities as the Russian President are estimated as good andexcellent by 40 percent of Russians, as satisfactory - by 47 percent, asbad and very bad - by 10 percent. Others found it difficult to answer thisquestion..