Putin proposes military reform

The Dec. 4, 2011 State Duma elections resulted in another victory for the United Russia party, albeit one that resulted in a loss of some seats for the party of power in the Russian parliament. Despite the results, allegations of vote rigging were widespread, and people took to the streets in Moscow and other major cities immediately after the elections on Dec. 5 and 6 and again on Dec. 10 and 24 to protest the election.

 

This year Russian citizens will again go to the polls on March 4 to elect the country's next president. Current President Dmitry Medvedev decided not to run for a second term, instead endorsing the candidacy of current Prime Minister and former president Vladimir Putin. Putin's challengers include billionaire and former head of the Right Cause party Mikhail Prokhorov, leader of the Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Just Russia party Sergei Mironov, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia.

     

Ratings of the candidates for Russia's 2012 presidency. Source: The data based on the preliminary polls conducted by Levada center and VTsIOM. Click to view the big image.