Putin’s Party Wins Again as 450 Duma Seats Decided in Vote With No Real Choice
Russia held a tightly controlled three-day parliamentary election, with United Russia expected to keep its grip on power amid the war in Ukraine.
Russia began voting for a new parliament on Friday, 18 September, in an election that started in the Far East and spread across the country over three days. Polls stayed open until Sunday evening. Voters chose all 450 members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament [244655].
The election was the first such vote since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022 [244014]. President Vladimir Putin's party, United Russia, was widely expected to win and keep its grip on parliament, which it has held for 23 years [244077].
The vote was tightly controlled by the Kremlin. A liberal anti-war party was barred from the ballot, and the only party that criticized the war was removed from the race [244077][244634]. The remaining parties are nominal opposition groups that reliably vote with the Kremlin on important issues [244077].
The State Duma approves laws but holds little power against the president [244014]. There was little doubt about the result [244077].
Despite heavy repression, some Russians planned to use the vote to oppose the government and the war in Ukraine [243990]. However, many Russians did not want to talk about the election. A reporter from the newspaper DN interviewed several people in Russia, and most refused to discuss it. Even thinking about the vote made them unhappy [244945].
Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks overnight as voting began [244634]. In parts of Ukraine's Donetsk region controlled by Russia, early voting for the parliamentary elections began with armed personnel accompanying election officials and voters [242075].
Results were expected after polls closed on Sunday [244077].