Moscow, Feb 21 (UNI) The final public opinion poll conducted by the state-run All Russia Public Opinion Centre (VTsIOM), one week before the Russian presidential election on March 2, has said front-runner Dmitry Medvedev will receive 72.9 per cent of votes.

The voter turnout on March 2 will be around 69.7 per cent, the poll said.

The poll was conducted among a sample of 1,600 respondents in 46 regions across Russia, with an error margin not exceeding 3.4 per cent.

Mr Medvedev is backed by incumbent President Vladimir Putin, who is to step down post election after completing two consecutive terms. Russian constitution does not allow him to run for the third term.

''This is about the number Mr Putin received in 2004 (71 per cent),'' VTsIOM director general, Valery Fyodorov said, adding that 75 per cent of Mr Medvedev's electorate had voted for Mr Putin in 2004.

The poll said Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov would get second place with 15 per cent of the votes, followed by ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky with 10.9 per cent.

The leader of the Russian Democratic Party Andrei Bogdanov will receive just one per cent of the votes, it said.

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