By early 1996 Yeltsin's public approval was so poor that he was polling at fifth place among presidential candidates, with only 8 percent support, while Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov was in the lead with 21 percent support. When Zyuganov showed up at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in February 1996, many Western leaders and the international media were eager to see him, and treated him with regards to believing that he would likely be the next president of Russia. However, Yeltsin managed to reverse his fortunes, ultimately defeating Zyuganov in the second round of the election.