Putin’s party wins supermajority in Russia’s parliamentary election
President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party secured a record supermajority in Russia’s parliamentary elections, winning more than three quarters of seats in the State Duma with just over 58% of the vote, according to near-complete official results. The vote, held over three days with almost 60% turnout, excluded significant opposition and incorporated voters from four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow after the 2022 invasion.
Why It Matters
The outcome consolidates United Russia’s control of the legislature and is likely to strengthen Putin’s hand on policy, including the war in Ukraine, even as public appetite for the conflict appears to be waning. The vote’s conduct and the exclusion of foreign monitors have drawn condemnation from Western governments, raising questions about its democratic legitimacy.
Key Facts
- United Russia vote share: Over 58% of votes (official results)
- Projected seats for United Russia: On track to win more than three quarters of State Duma seats
- Voter turnout: Almost 60% over three days of voting
- First parliamentary vote since: Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022
- Regions included: Voters in four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow were included
Official results released after three days of voting showed President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party winning a record supermajority in the State Duma, taking just over 58% of the vote and putting it on track to claim more than three quarters of lower-house seats. The election was the first parliamentary contest since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and was held amid wartime conditions and expanded ballots that included residents of four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow earlier this year.
Authorities reported a high turnout of roughly 60%, a figure Moscow appears likely to portray as public endorsement of its policies. Critics and some opposition figures said the vote lacked genuine competition: the only registered anti-war party, Yabloko, had been removed from the national ballot by the Supreme Court before the election and ran only a small number of single-seat candidates.
The Communist Party, which has criticized elements of government policy but avoided direct attacks on Putin, won 13.8% of the vote and secured 40 Duma seats. The nationalist LDPR gained 25 seats and the New People party took 20. Both Yabloko and the Communists reported that many of their election observers were denied access to polling stations. Russia also did not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a move the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said violated Russia’s commitments as a member.
Western officials condemned the vote. EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas dismissed the results as a hollow exercise, citing the exclusion of dissenting parties and international monitors. A joint statement by five countries, including Australia, Britain and Canada, labeled the elections in occupied Ukrainian territories a “sham” and part of a broader system of occupation. Analysts warn that while the supermajority strengthens the Kremlin’s legislative control, public demand for an end to the war appears to be growing and could clash with an emboldened parliamentary majority.
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Original source: Al Jazeera