Press Release, 13.10.2016

Public confidence in the State Duma has dropped for the year by almost two-fold – from 40 to 22 per cent, as shown by the poll conducted by the Levada Centre a week after the elections. The State Duma demonstrated the worst indicators of public trust among other the state power bodies. Even the police and the public prosecutor’s office enjoy trust from a larger number of Russians – 24 per cent respectively.

This survey was conducted on 23-26 September, a week after the election. The first meeting of the newly elected State Duma took place ten days after the election, on 5 October. Thus, the results of the poll can not be connected with the activities of the lower house of parliament. Obviously, the loss of people’s confidence in deputies of the State Duma was due to the fact that they were elected in the fraudulent elections.

This is confirmed by another poll conducted by the Levada Centre simultaneously with the research on public trust to state agencies. Sociologists asked respondents on whether elections to the State Duma on 18 September were fair. Less than half of respondents (46 per cent) said that they were conducted fairly.

It should be also noted that YABLOKO officially did not recognise the elections fair and legitimate. The party stated that the State Duma formed by a clear minority of the population “did not represent the Russian society and was not a body of popular representation”.