Outlook for Duma Election.

(From The Moscow Times)

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We look forward to hearing from you.Email the Opinion Page EditorOn Sunday, people will go to the polls to elect Russia's fourth post-Soviet State Duma. You would think this is a serious business; however, since being established, Russia's parliament has failed to win the respect of a majority of the population.

In a poll conducted by VTsIOM-A from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16, involving a sample of 1,600 people in 40 regions, only 9 percent of those polled responded that the Duma "is active in passing legislation that Russia needs." One third of respondents believe that it "discusses necessary laws, but cannot implement them"; 37 percent of respondents believe that "it engages in pointless discussions and quarreling with the executive branch"; and one fifth of respondents know nothing about the work of the Duma and cannot comment.

Nevertheless, surveys show that 55 percent to 60 percent of the electorate will participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, even though only 20 percent to 25 percent of respondents harbor hopes that the elections might change their lives and the country's fortunes for the better. The highest concentration of optimists is found among better-off sections of the population and among young people and students.