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Putin's Party Wins Russia's Wartime Election
Confirmed
In Short: Early results from Russia's first parliamentary election since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine show President Vladimir Putin's party, United Russia, dominating the vote.
According to the Central Election Commission, with nearly 58% of the vote counted, United Russia had secured nearly 58% of the seats allocated by party lists.
The election, which began on Friday and ended on Sunday, saw a turnout of around 57%, with voting continuing at some embassies and consulates in time zones further west, including in the United States.
The Kremlin has sought to showcase popular support for the war and legitimize its actions through this election, which was marked by a massive state media campaign and tight control over the electoral process.
Four other parties that almost always vote for Kremlin initiatives also returned to the State Duma, with the CPRF at 13.84%, the LDPR at 8.9%, New People at 7.94%, and A Just Russia at 4.95%.
Opposition parties such as Yabloko and the Communist Party reported difficulties, with many of their observers being turned away from polling stations or arrested by police.
The Berlin-based think tank NEST suggested that the votes received by the CPRF and New People might amount to a silent protest against Putin and United Russia, even if these parties do not challenge the president on most issues.
Despite the Kremlin's efforts to control the election, analysts noted potential warning signs for the Kremlin in the results.
Ukraine had denounced the election, which involved voters from annexed regions, as illegal, and Moscow accused Ukraine of attempting to sabotage the election after a wave of drone attacks on Sunday.
What's confirmed
- According to the Central Election Commission, with nearly 58% of the vote counted, United Russia had secured nearly 58% of the seats allocated by party lists.
- The election, which began on Friday and ended on Sunday, saw a turnout of around 57%, with voting continuing at some embassies and consulates in time zones further west, including in the United States.
- The Kremlin has sought to showcase popular support for the war and legitimize its actions through this election, which was marked by a massive state media campaign and tight control over the electoral process.
- Four other parties that almost always vote for Kremlin initiatives also returned to the State Duma, with the CPRF at 13.84%, the LDPR at 8.9%, New People at 7.94%, and A Just Russia at 4.95%.
- Opposition parties such as Yabloko and the Communist Party reported difficulties, with many of their observers being turned away from polling stations or arrested by police.
- The Berlin-based think tank NEST suggested that the votes received by the CPRF and New People might amount to a silent protest against Putin and United Russia, even if these parties do not challenge the president on most issues.
- Despite the Kremlin's efforts to control the election, analysts noted potential warning signs for the Kremlin in the results.
- Ukraine had denounced the election, which involved voters from annexed regions, as illegal, and Moscow accused Ukraine of attempting to sabotage the election after a wave of drone attacks on Sunday.
What's still developing
- Russia’s main Kremlin party, United Russia, was dominating the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, according to early returns released Monday from a tightly controlled election virtually devoid of opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s policies.
- OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons said that the decision was a breach of Russia’s commitments as a member state of the organization.
- Yabloko reported that one of its observers lost consciousness while being arrested by police at a St. Petersburg polling station on Saturday, after officials accused him of trying to “disrupt the elections” and called police.
- Russia’s exiled opposition, including the widow of Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, called on anti-war Russians to cast their votes at noon on Sunday.
- Some of them joined the “Noon for a Peaceful Russia” anti-war demonstration, holding anti-war and anti-Putin posters.
- Another 225 lawmakers will be chosen in single-seat races, and United Russia also was poised to win most of those.
- A massive state media campaign and tight control over the election in the absence of genuine opposition all but assure the Kremlin will keep tight control of Russian politics amid mounting economic costs and increasing Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside the country.
- Those who did run from the liberal Yabloko party said they feared for their freedom after two senior party figures were handed long jail terms before the election due to comments made about the Russia-Ukraine war.
- But while the early results paint a predictable outcome, the Berlin-based think tank NEST, cofounded by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, said the vote could produce awkward moments for the Kremlin at a time of economic strain.
- During the 2021 State Duma elections, United Russia kept an absolute majority in the 450-seat lower house, holding 326 seats.
- The CEC will announce preliminary results and turnout on Monday, but the final results are unlikely before Friday, by which time all ballots are likely to be counted and other procedures required by law are completed, TASS reported.
- The attacks killed three people in the Moscow region and two in the Russian-held part of Kherson, including an election official, according to the regional governor and the election commission.