OMM Redaksiyası
More than 70% of the vote has been counted in Russia’s parliamentary election. Preliminary results show that United Russia, which maintains close ties with President Vladimir Putin, has secured 57.5% of the vote.
The Communist Party has won 14%, while the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party has received 8.7%. New People and A Just Russia, both known for their loyalty to the Kremlin, are also expected to win seats in the State Duma.
Election presented as test of support for Ukraine war
The vote was the first parliamentary election held in Russia since the country launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. Vladimir Putin presented the election as an indicator of public support for the war.
No party opposing the war was allowed to participate in the election. Several weeks before the vote, Russia’s Supreme Court removed the Yabloko party, known for its anti-war position, from the ballot.
The vote took place over the weekend amid large-scale drone attacks carried out by Ukraine. The attacks killed three people in Moscow region and two people, including an election official, in the Russian-controlled part of Kherson region.
Russian officials say attacks did not affect election
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin described the attack as the largest carried out so far. He said the aim of the attacks was to disrupt the election, but that they had failed to do so.
Ella Pamfilova, chairwoman of Russia’s Central Election Commission, also said the attacks had not deterred voters. According to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, Pamfilova said the growing pressure had strengthened the level of unity in society.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense accused Kyiv of attempting to disrupt the “democratic will” of Russian citizens and said the strikes would intensify.
Election authorities also reported cyberattacks targeting electronic voting systems during the three-day voting period. Officials nevertheless said the process had proceeded smoothly overall.
Ukraine, which suspended elections on its territory because of martial law, said it did not consider the vote in Russia legitimate.
Russia’s parliamentary elections are held to choose members of the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. The results are closely watched because they indicate the balance of political forces inside the country and the level of support for the Kremlin’s policies.
