Russia's main Kremlin party, United Russia, has retained its parliamentary majority following an election that election officials described on Monday as carefully orchestrated and largely excluding opposition candidates. The preliminary results indicate United Russia will hold 355 out of 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Election officials reported that United Russia secured nearly 58% of the vote for seats apportioned by parties and was leading in 208 of the 225 single-ballot races. This marks the first parliamentary election since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The balloting also included residents from four Ukrainian regions seized and illegally annexed by Moscow in 2022, as well as Crimea, annexed in 2014. Kyiv has denounced the voting in these regions as illegal.
Ahead of the election, the Kremlin intensified its crackdown on opposition movements. Russia's only liberal, anti-war party was barred from the ballot, with a few dozen candidates allowed to compete only in single-constituency races. Some anti-war politicians were reportedly imprisoned or forced to flee the country. The liberal Yabloko party, which had publicly criticized the war, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia's Supreme Court. The Communist Party, while critical of some government policies, has avoided direct criticism of President Vladimir Putin.
Reports from polling stations indicated that observers from parties like Yabloko and the Communist Party faced obstacles, with many reportedly being turned away. The election excluded observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, an organization whose criticism of Russia led the Russian Foreign Ministry to accuse it of "double standards." OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons stated that Russia's decision not to invite observers was a breach of its commitments as a member state.
A significant state media campaign and tight control over the electoral process, in the absence of genuine political competition, appear to have ensured the Kremlin's continued dominance over Russian politics. This outcome comes as Russia faces increasing economic pressures and heightened Ukrainian drone attacks within its borders.