thirds of all Russians believe Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will win easily in an upcoming presidential election, data made public by a Moscow-based research company showed Tuesday. A total 65 percent of all Russians polled said they expected him to win the March 4 election in its initial round, poll results by the All-Russian Center of Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) said, according to an Interfax news agency report. The nationwide survey was conducted on Jan. 7-8 among 1,600 respondents. Putin is a candidate for the ruling United Russia party. He served a theoretically legal maximum two terms as president from 2000-2008, but a constitutional loophole allows him to run for a third or even a fourth term. Putin's published campaign platform calls for a strong state and continued government support to big business, particularly heavy industry and the energy sector. He faces four opponents. A candidate wins a Russian presidential election immediately if he manages to receive more than 50 percent of ballots cast in a first round vote.
