Russia’s ruling United Russia party has won a record supermajority in the country’s parliamentary elections, securing 355 seats in the 450-seat State Duma lower house, according to preliminary figures. The election results feature 49 deputies who took part in the war against Ukraine, following an initial estimate by Vladimir Yakushev that 86 veterans were likely to have been elected before the figure was revised. The polls mark the first parliamentary vote held since the 2022 full-scale invasion and include residents from four Ukrainian regions seized and annexed by Moscow.
United Russia Secures Record Supermajority as War Veterans Enter Duma
Central Electoral Commission chair Ella Pamfilova reported that United Russia achieved a victory with 57.83% of the vote with 95% of ballots counted, an increase from the 49.8% won in the 2021 election. Other parties entering parliament include the Communist Party with 40 seats, the ultra-nationalist LDPR party with 25 seats, and the New People party with 20 seats. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the outcome demonstrates the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around President Vladimir Putin, who has ruled as prime minister or president since 2000. Meanwhile, Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov was re-elected, reportedly winning over 99% of the votes.
International Condemnation and Domestic Suppression of Dissent
Western governments and international officials strongly criticized the electoral process. Western nations denounced the polls held in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine as a sham, while five countries—including Australia, Britain, and Canada—condemned the votes in a joint statement. Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, called the election a major setback for Russian democracy, stating via X that the Kremlin silenced dissent, shut out international monitors, and left only a veneer of democracy. Russia also excluded observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), prompting criticism from OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons.
Domestically, Russia’s Supreme Court banned the sole anti-war party, Yabloko, from participating nationally last month, leaving liberal voters with no official anti-war ballot option, though Yabloko secured a seat in the regional parliament of the Novgorod region. Local politician Boris Nadezhdin, who attempted to run on a peace platform, was barred from the September elections and labeled a foreign agent. Tatyana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center noted that while Putin will interpret the results as public support for the conflict, public demand for ending the war is growing, leaving citizens concerned about potential mobilization and harsher measures.
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