Russia Begins Parliamentary Elections, First Since Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

Three-day vote runs through Sunday; ruling United Russia expected to retain dominance
MOSCOW: Voting is under way in Russia from Friday to Sunday to elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. It is the first parliamentary election since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The vote comes as Russians face a slowing economy, along with Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries and warehouses far from the front line. United Russia, the ruling party that backs President Vladimir Putin, is expected to retain its dominant position in parliament.
Officials describe the election as an opportunity for citizens to express their views. Critics say the outcome is largely predetermined because of the absence of genuine opposition on the ballot.
Alongside the Duma vote, Russians will also cast ballots in local elections, choosing governors in 11 regions and regional legislatures in 39 regions. Voting is spread over three days to maximise turnout, and includes Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. Electronic voting is also available.
Half of the Duma’s 450 seats are filled through party lists and the other half through direct contests in single-member constituencies.
United Russia was formed in 2001 through the merger of pro-Kremlin parties. It has backed Putin and has dominated parliament ever since. In the 2021 elections it won more than two-thirds of the Duma’s seats and is expected to dominate again.
The party’s list includes prominent figures such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s top diplomat for the past 22 years, and Moscow’s powerful mayor Sergei Sobyanin. In an effort to bring in fresh faces for a party often seen as one of bureaucrats, its number three candidate is war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny, who was seriously wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack. United Russia members have pledged to support the war effort in Ukraine and Putin’s maximalist goals. The Kremlin calls the war a “special military operation.”
Other opposition parties are also expected to keep their seats in parliament; they generally vote with the government on major issues. The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered party opposing the war in Russia, was initially on the ballot, but the Supreme Court ordered its removal in August.