Putin casts parliamentary election as barometer of support for war, urges Russians to vote
Putin says turnout will show whether Russians back the war as United Russia is expected to keep its dominant hold on the Duma.
- On Friday, September 18, 2026, Russia launched a three-day parliamentary election to renew all 450 seats in the State Duma, marking the first nationwide vote since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- President Vladimir Putin framed the election as a test of national unity, while authorities tightened control by barring anti-war candidates and removing the liberal Yabloko party from the ballot.
- With meaningful opposition excluded, the ballot features United Russia and 'systemic opposition' parties supporting government policies; authorities also jailed Yabloko's deputy chairman Lev Shlosberg and Maxim Kruglov for anti-war statements.
- Analysts expect United Russia to maintain overwhelming control of the State Duma, as the Kremlin views the election as a tool to mobilize public support for the war and legitimize its policies.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly alleged the Kremlin plans post-election mobilization, a claim Putin has dismissed as 'nonsense' amid mounting war costs and public anxiety.
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517 Articles
The Power Party Some Russia is again taking the victory in Russia's illusory election. Everything should be as always.
There was no surprise at the polls and the party of the ruling party managed to maintain its majority in the Duma, the Parliament of the Eurasian giant. With 13.9% of the votes cast, the formation led by Vladimir Putin recorded at the close of this edition more than 57.54% of support. The second on the list was the Communist Party of the Russian Federation with 13.67%. The result was predictable. The most pointed out for the regime was participa…
The ruling United Russia party is leading in the State Duma elections, with 49.4 percent of voters voting for the party's candidate list, according to an exit poll published on Sunday by the state-run All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM).
Russian Parliamentary Election: Turnout Exceeds 56%, Early Trends Show Putin's 'United Russia' Ahead
Voting has concluded for the Russian parliamentary elections. Preliminary results show the ruling United Russia party leading with 57.54 percent of the vote. Exit polls also predict United Russia will receive the most votes, with the Communist Party and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia close behind in second and third place.
With about 14 percent of the votes counted, President Vladimir Putin's ruling party United Russia is comfortably in the lead in the Russian parliamentary elections with 57.5 percent of the vote. This was reported by the country's Central Election Commission, which reported a turnout of over 56 percent.
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