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Vladivostok residents say the Primorye Duma has less influence on life in the krai than organized crime, other political leaders and the mass media.

The discovery that krai residents don’t think their parliament matters much came in a Nov. 17 survey by the Center for Political Studies and Advertising GID. The organization, which is based at Far Eastern State University, conducted a random telephone poll of 301 Vladivostok residents.

Only 37.6 percent of respondents said the Duma influences the situation in the krai. Roughly 47 percent thought it does not, while 15.8 percent had no opinion.

Organized crime topped the list as the most influential factor in local life. Seventy percent of all respondents thought it affected life here, 11 percent thought not, and 19 percent had no opinion.

The governor’s influence rating fell below that of the gangsters: 67.3 percent said indicated he made a difference, while 21.8 percent said he didn’t. The remainder had no opinion.

Vladivostok’s mayor, Victor Cherepkov, ran in third place: 60.4 percent felt the hungry man’s hand in their lives, while 28.7 percent did not. Another 11.9 percent had no opinion.

Duma members seeking reelection might think again; respondents flunked the legislative body in a question on how well it was doing. Offered a choice between a grade of 1 (very bad) and 5 (excellent), a 31.7-percent majority said the Duma’s work was bad. Nearly 26 percent of those questioned ranked the Duma’s work as very bad, while 23.8 percent rated it fair. Only 1 percent called the Duma’s’ work good. Some 5.8 percent declined to respond.

Despite the low estimation of the Duma, Irina Galkina, the director of the center and a political analyst, said the voter turnout in the Dec. 7 election will probably be higher then during any recent year.

“People realize that this is the only chance to have their representatives in the Duma, when the interests of authorities and the electorate diverge so much,” she said.

Of those polled, 37.6 percent said they will definitely vote, 42.6 percent said they won’t and 19.8 hadn’t decided. For the election to be valid, 25 percent of registered voters must turn out.

Galkina predicts that running a big media campaign won’t work this time around. “The population had a negative experience with mass propaganda, especially after the presidential election campaign [in 1996],” she said.

A low-key approach might work better this time: People who spend little or no money might end up elected, Galkina said. Voters trust unformed leaders more, and they are even creating support groups to draft candidates they respect, she said.