United Russia leads the initial count of the legislative elections, while the opposition reported irregularities and questions the transparency of the process
United Russia, the party that supports President Vladimir Putin, obtained 57.54% of the votes in the party lists according to the first official figures from the legislative elections held over three days in Russia, as reported by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). The result corresponds to 13.88% of the votes counted and places the ruling party at the forefront of the contest for the 450 seats in the State Duma.
The Communist Party came in second with 13.67%, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, which has an ultranationalist orientation, with 9.27%. New People obtained 7.96%, while Just Russia reached 5.16%. If these percentages hold, these four forces would surpass the threshold necessary to gain representation through national lists.
The final composition of the Duma, however, cannot yet be determined from these results. Of the 450 seats, 225 are allocated through party lists and another 225 through single-member districts, so the final result will also depend on the candidates who win individually in each district.
The elections called more than 111 million citizens in 89 regions of Russia and also included citizens residing abroad, where hundreds of polling centers were set up.
Vladimir Putin's party emerged victorious in the Russian legislative elections amid the massive bombing of Moscow
After the publication of the first results, former president and leader of United Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, stated that Russian citizens maintain their trust in the country's main political force. The Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, also asserted that the results will not change the diplomatic course adopted by Moscow.
The elections were marked, however, by questioning from opposition organizations and international bodies. One of the main critical forces of the war against Ukraine, Yabloko, was excluded from the national lists following a decision by the Russian Supreme Court, although some of its candidates were able to run in single-member districts.
The party had called on its supporters to use the elections to limit the number of seats obtained by United Russia. The Russian opposition based abroad also urged critical voters of the Kremlin to go to the polls and use various alternatives to express their rejection of the war.
During the three electoral days, Yabloko and the communists denounced difficulties for their representatives to oversee the process within the polling centers. Among the complaints, they mentioned restrictions on observer access, issues related to ballots, and questions about the opening of ballot boxes that, according to their allegations, should have remained sealed.
The Russian Foreign Minister clarified that the election results will not change Russia's diplomatic course
The electronic voting system also generated controversies. The head of the CEC, Ella Pamfilova, stated that the digital platform used in Moscow had been the target of cyberattacks. At the same time, opponents reported failures that would have forced some voters to resort to electronic terminals instead of receiving a physical ballot.
Another questioned element was the absence of observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Russia did not invite the organization to oversee the elections. Maria Telalian, director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), stated that the lack of independent international observation prevents an objective assessment of the process and deprives voters and political actors of a tool to evaluate its transparency.
The holding of elections in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia also provoked criticism. Moscow included residents of parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, as well as Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, in the voting. Ukraine denounced the measure as illegal, and the European Union stated that these elections cannot have legal effects on Ukrainian territory.
From the opposition, strong criticisms were launched against the Russian government for the exclusion of numerous parties
The electoral day was also conditioned by the war. The last day of voting coincided with one of the largest waves of Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian territory since the beginning of the conflict. Russian authorities reported more than a thousand drones intercepted in various regions, including hundreds heading towards Moscow.
The first results show a significant lead for United Russia, although the final distribution of seats will depend on the complete count and the results in individual constituencies. At the same time, the opposition's allegations, the absence of OSCE observers, and the inclusion of occupied Ukrainian territories keep the debate open regarding the conditions under which the elections were held.
