The parliamentary election in Russia, which was held between Friday (18) and Sunday (20), is expected to close with United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin, with nearly 58% of the seats in the Duma, the Russian parliament. According to Russian news agencies, with 90.45% of the votes counted by the Central Election Commission, the party holds 57.82% of voters’ preferences.
United Russia is estimated to have won 355 seats in the Duma, which has 450 seats, allowing the party to maintain its constitutional majority, the commission reported.
The voting threshold reached represents an increase compared to the 49.8% won in the 2021 contest.
Read also: The governing party United Russia is expected to win the parliamentary election easily
In addition to the new composition of the Duma, elections were held for the legislative assemblies of 39 Russian regions, together with elections for the highest officials of these provinces. About 23,000 mandates are to be filled in total, according to Tass agency.
The result reinforces Putin’s political power, especially his efforts to intensify pressure on Ukraine, but the European Policy Centre (EPC) think tank notes that the vote occurred in a system in which dissent is not tolerated and significant opposition was crushed.
“Recently, the Russian Supreme Court prohibited the liberal opposition party Yabloko from the ballot, depriving voters of the only party explicitly opposed to the invasion of Ukraine,” said Amanda Paul, senior analyst at the EPC.
She also commented that holding votes in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Ukraine illustrated the effort to normalize the Kremlin’s illegal occupation. “The message was clear: this was not simply an election, but another front in the war.”
She also stated that the elections are significant as a reflection of public opinion: according to the Levada Center, considered one of the most reliable independent institutes in Russia, 68% of respondents in August supported the actions of Russian forces in Ukraine.
“That reflects propaganda and information control, but also deeply rooted ideas within Russian society that Russia is a great power, with a historic right to regional influence and a special right to shape the security and political order of its neighbors.”
According to preliminary data, the CPRF with 13.8%, the LDPR with 8.99% and New People with 7.96% should also enter the State Duma. The Just Russia party, led by former prime minister Dmitri Medvedev, may not have managed to surpass the 5% threshold to remain in the Duma – based on this latest vote tally, it received 4.96%.
On the eve of winter, Amanda Paul suggests that European allied countries to Ukraine should pressure Moscow by adopting measures such as accelerating military aid — including air defense, Patriot interceptors, anti-drone systems and ammunition — and strengthening the energy structure by sending transformers, generators, spare parts and mobile heating equipment to repair energy and utility infrastructure.
She also suggested a tightening of sanctions enforcement, including actions against Russia’s shadow fleet; faster use of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s defense, recovery and reconstruction; and Ukraine’s integration into the EU’s programs, markets and security cooperation. (With Reuters)
