Russians Begin Three Days of Voting in a Parliamentary Election Set to Cement Kremlin’s Power
Russians on Friday began three days of voting in the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, which lacks meaningful opposition and is expected to firmly cement the Kremlin’s political control. Authorities spread the voting across the weekend to boost turnout among the 111 million eligible voters and permitted electronic balloting, with polls scheduled to close on Sunday.
The Kremlin intends for the election—the first since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022—to highlight public backing for the conflict and lend a facade of legitimacy to its military operations. President Vladimir Putin urged the nation to back the government before the ballot opened.
“Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland,” President Vladimir Putin told the nation. Russian state news agencies reported that Putin voted online Friday and released a video of him in front of a computer screen.
United Russia and the Systemic Opposition Retain Control of the State Duma
United Russia, the primary party backing the Kremlin, is virtually guaranteed to preserve its dominant majority in the lower house of parliament, known as the State Duma. In addition, several minor factions belonging to the “systemic opposition” that consistently support government policies on all major matters are anticipated to maintain their seats.
Voters cast two separate ballots, filling half of the Duma’s 450 seats by selecting political parties listed on the ballot. The rest are contested in single-seat constituencies, with voters choosing individual candidates. Prior to the election, the liberal Yabloko party—the sole registered political group that openly criticized the conflict—was disqualified from the ballot last month by the Supreme Court of Russia. The party maintains only a few dozen candidates in the single-constituency races, while other anti-war politicians have been imprisoned or forced to flee abroad.
Voter Perspectives on War, Economy, and Change
Citizens interviewed by the Associated Press expressed starkly different expectations from the electoral process. Dmitry Kirillin in Moscow stated earlier this week that he would like “to see some changes. To see a different party” at the helm. Conversely, Muscovite Alexander Vertukhin believed “what United Russia and the communists are doing is quite sufficient; their platforms cover everything.”
At a Moscow polling station on Friday, pensioner Galina Vavilova noted that ending the war in Ukraine “is the main thing, of course.” “That is the most important thing right now. Everyone wants peace, that’s what it comes down to. So that our guys are safe and sound,” she said. Another pensioner, Lyudmila Kalinina, wished for life “to stabilize for the better” and for “an end to the big divide between the ultra-rich and the extremely poor, because, after all, many people don’t live a very sweet life.” Vladimir Chubarev, a 72-year-old professor, expressed hope “for all the important initiatives our government is undertaking to succeed,” adding: “And, of course, for victory.”
Economic Pressures and Voting in Annexed Territories
The election follows a summer of long-range Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries that triggered a widespread fuel crisis. Warehouses belonging to online retailers Wildberries and Ozon were also attacked, exacerbating economic strain and bringing the reality of the conflict home for millions of Russians.
For the inaugural time, this parliamentary vote encompasses inhabitants of four Ukrainian areas that were unlawfully seized by Moscow following the outbreak of hostilities, despite the Kremlin lacking complete command over them. Voting is also taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. At a polling station in the Russian-held part of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, voters dropped ballots into a box while an armed Russian soldier stood nearby and watched. Authorities in Kyiv have denounced the voting in these regions as illegal and urged international organizations not to recognize the results.
