Polls in early 1996 had demonstrated that the majority of voters did not like either Boris Yeltsin or Gennady Zyuganov. As a result, there was a real possibility that that support could coalesce around a third candidate, propelling them into the second round of the Russian presidential election. Many referred to this possible merging of support as a "third force". Intense speculation arose that a third force might arise from a coalition of non-Yeltsin supporters and non-Communist supporters.