Russians Name Putin as Man of the Year – Survey

Russians have named President Vladimir Putin as the Man of the Year in 2013, according to a new survey. Twenty-six percent of respondents chose Putin and seven percent, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the poll by the independent Levada Center found.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and ex-US security contractor Edward Snowden gained 4 percent each, and recently pardoned former Yukos oil company head Mikhail Khodorkovsky got 3 percent.

Putin has been constantly chosen as the Man of the Year since 2008, when he received 40 percent of votes. The poll was conducted December 20-24, 2013 among 1,603 urban and rural residents aged 18 and older in 130 cities, towns and villages of 45 Russian regions. The statistical margin of error does not exceed 3.4 percent.

A recent survey by the state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) showed that Putin was the country’s most popular politician in 2013. Forty-four percent of respondents said Putin was the politician of the year.