MOSCOW-(MaraviPost)-President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has secured a dominant position in Russia’s State Duma following the country’s first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to Reuters and the Associated Press, United Russia won 355 of the 450 seats in the State Duma, giving the Kremlin-backed party a constitutional majority after securing about 57.8 percent of the party-list vote.
The result strengthens the party’s control of parliament and gives it sufficient numbers to pass legislation and constitutional amendments without relying on other parties.
The election was held over three days from Friday to Sunday, with voting taking place amid the continuing war in Ukraine and a tightly controlled political environment.
More than 95 percent of ballots had been counted when the Central Election Commission reported United Russia’s commanding lead.
Turnout was reported at more than 59 percent, according to the latest results, although earlier figures released during the count had placed participation below 57 percent.
The Communist Party finished second in the party-list vote, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, New People and A Just Russia.
Those parties are represented in parliament but have generally supported the Kremlin on major issues, limiting the extent of parliamentary opposition to Putin’s policies.
The liberal Yabloko party, which had sought to present an anti-war alternative, failed to secure national representation in the State Duma.
The election also included voting in Crimea and four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed, although Ukraine and most of the international community do not recognise those territories as part of Russia.
The inclusion of the occupied Ukrainian territories has drawn strong criticism from Kyiv, which considers the elections there illegal.
The vote was also conducted against the backdrop of intensified Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory, including strikes that Russian authorities said caused deaths and damage around Moscow.
Reuters reported that the election result could provide Putin with additional political leverage as his government continues its war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has presented the election as evidence of national unity, while critics and opposition figures have questioned the credibility of a vote in which many anti-war candidates were excluded, imprisoned or forced into exile.
The outcome marks a significant change from the 2021 State Duma election, when United Russia won 326 seats.
The latest result leaves the party with a larger parliamentary majority and reinforces its central role in Russia’s political system.
For the Kremlin, the parliamentary victory provides a strengthened legislative platform as Russia continues to manage the war in Ukraine, economic pressures and growing demands on state resources.
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