Putin’s Party Secures Large Majority in Russian Parliamentary Elections

In Russia’s parliamentary elections, President Vladimir Putin’s party, United Russia, secured more than 58 percent of the vote, ensuring it wins more than three-quarters of the seats in the State Duma. This election, the first since the invasion of Ukraine, included voters from four Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia, with around 60 percent voter turnout. As Russia did not invite OSCE observers, countries including the European Union, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada labeled the elections as fake and unfair.

Kathmandu, September 22 – United Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s party, has achieved a historic landslide victory in Russia’s parliamentary elections. The final official results from this tightly controlled election, which largely excluded opposition parties, revealed this outcome. After a three-day voting period beginning Sunday, the Monday announcement showed United Russia winning over 58 percent of the votes and securing more than 75 percent of the seats in the lower house, the State Duma. This party has dominated Russian politics for the past 25 years.

This was the first parliamentary election since the Russian military invaded Ukraine in 2022. Residents of four Ukrainian regions illegally annexed by Moscow participated for the first time. According to Al Jazeera, the estimated high turnout of around 60 percent allows Moscow to portray the results as popular support for its policies, especially its continuation of the war in Ukraine.

Regarding opposition parties, Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, noted that Yabloko—the only registered anti-war party in Russia—failed to win any seats nationally. Last month, Russia’s Supreme Court barred the party from the ballot, limiting Yabloko to fielding candidates in only a few single-member constituencies. However, Yabloko did secure representation in the regional parliament of Novgorod in western Russia. The party announced via social media it received around 12,000 votes (over 6 percent), sufficient for entry into the regional legislature.

The Communist Party also issued some criticisms yet refrained from overtly challenging Putin. The party complained that many of its observers were expelled from polling stations. In the election, the Communist Party won 40 seats in the Duma, capturing 13.8 percent of the vote. The nationalist LDPR party secured 25 seats, and the New People party obtained 20 seats.

This time, Russia excluded European security and cooperation organizations from election observation. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the OSCE of double standards. Pär Jonsson Pons, Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, stated that removing observers violates Russia’s commitments as a member.

Many Russian citizens appeared unsurprised by the results. Tatiana, a resident of Moscow, said, “I saw that United Russia was winning this morning. That’s probably no surprise to anyone.” Asked what changes she expected, she responded, “The most serious issue is the war in Ukraine. I hope it ends soon and peacefully.”

Because of the ongoing war’s effects on ordinary Russians, government-supportive policies may become stronger, and this huge parliamentary majority may struggle to reverse that trend. Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center wrote online that although demands to end the war are rising, Putin will portray United Russia’s victory as continued public backing for the war. The key question now is what happens next—there are deep concerns about increased military actions, repression, tightening controls, and rising tensions.

Western nations condemned the elections. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, stated, “The Kremlin suppressed voices of dissent, banned the only registered party opposing the Ukraine war, and excluded international observers. Now there is only a facade of democracy left in Russia.” A joint statement by five countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada condemned the Russian ‘fake’ parliamentary election conducted in the occupied Ukrainian regions, calling it part of an “occupation regime.” (In collaboration with Al Jazeera)