Putin predicted to win presidential elections in first round

The Russian Centre for Public Opinion Studies has published the results of their most recent electoral survey.

Support for current Prime Minister and presidential candidate, Vladimir Putin, is at 55%, suggesting that Putin will win in the first round of elections with approximately 59% of the vote.

His closest challenger is Communist Party candidate Genady Zuganov, with a mere 15%. The Liberal Democrats come in third with 9.4% support.

In Moscow, support for Putin is at 43%, while in St. Petersburg it is 46%.