Interest of Russians in opposition protests on decline – poll

(Interfax – MOSCOW. June 13, 2013) Protest activity is on decline in Russia, and an increasing number of citizens are unaware of the goals of protest actions. A sixth of the respondents in a poll held in 45 regions on May 23-27 even claim the opposition wants to topple the authorities.

Massive protest actions of the opposition (For Fair Election, March of Millions and others), which started in late 2011, are currently supported by 27% of Russians, as against 44% at the beginning. Thirty percent deny them support (41%), and 44% (as against 15%) are hesitant, Levada Center sociologists told Interfax on Thursday.

Some 46% of the respondents (28% a year ago) could not say which goals the organizers of protest actions had. Twenty-eight percent believe they seek a “peaceful and non-violent” change of government, and 18% suspect them of the wish “to overthrow the authorities through massive disturbances”. The indicators were higher, 34% and 24% correspondingly, last fall. The number of respondents who think the organizers of opposition protests have no plans to change the Russian administration has halved, from 15% to 8%.

Vladimir Ryzhkov enjoys the biggest support amongst extra-systemic opposition leaders, Levada Center said. Eight percent of the respondents approve of the political activity of the Republican Party of Russia – People’s Freedom Party (RPR-PARNAS) cochairman, 32% disapprove and 61% know nothing about him.

The top five of the best known opposition activists also includes former State Duma deputy Gennady Gudkov (7% approval, 35% disapproval, and 59% unawareness), RPR-PARNAS cochairman, member of the Russian opposition’s coordination council Boris Nemtsov (7%, 49% and 45%), founder and head of the anti-corruption project RosPil Alexei Navalny (6%, 35% and 59%) and Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov (5%, 34% and 61%).

A permitted opposition march took place in the Moscow center on June 12. The opposition expected 30,000 participants, but the police estimated their numbers at only 6,000. The previous massive action of the opposition was held in Moscow on May 6. According to various estimates, from 8,000 to several tens of thousands of people gathered on Bolotnaya Square.

A permitted opposition action on Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012, resulted in clashes with the police and detention of dozens of opposition activists.