A poll conducted by the Analytical Center of Yuri Levada in the Universitetsky constituency of Moscow showed that 28 percent of residents of the constituency who intended to attend the State Duma by-elections on December 4, 2005, would vote for Mikhail Khodorkovsky. This percentage is significant – in December of 2003, Mikhail Zadornov only needed 27 percent of votes to win in this constituency.

Before the start of the election campaign, a record rate of 91.2 percent of residents of the Universitetsky district knew the name Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky’s arrest has made his name public, and while many know his name through the arrest, a separate poll indicated that 58 percent of residents of the Universitetskiy constituency believe his arrest to be politically motivated.

It is notable that more than half of the polled residents of the Universitetsky district are sure that the authorities will do everything in their power to prevent Khodorkovsky from participating in the elections.

Public opinion poll was held by the Analytical Center of Yuri Levada on representative sampling of the Universitetsky district of Moscow September 5-8, 2005. 510 people (18 and older) were polled in total.