MWE Correspondent
Russia’s ruling United Russia party is leading the country’s parliamentary election, according to preliminary results released after the first legislative vote since Moscow launched its full-scale military operation in Ukraine in 2022.
The three-day election began on Friday and ended on Sunday, with around 111 million people eligible to vote across Russia.
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, United Russia had secured approximately 58% of the party-list vote after about 58% of polling stations had been counted.
The State Duma has 450 seats. Under Russia’s electoral system, 225 seats are allocated through party lists, while the remaining 225 are contested in single-member constituencies.
Also Read:Kinyerezi Ward Councillor Supports Ari Secondary School Students
Candidates backed by United Russia were also leading in a large number of the single-member constituencies, according to preliminary figures, putting the governing party in a strong position to retain its dominance in the lower house of parliament.
Voter turnout stood at around 57% by Sunday evening, according to the Central Election Commission.
The election was held against the backdrop of the continuing war in Ukraine, with voting also taking place in Crimea and in parts of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that Russia claims to have incorporated into the Russian Federation.
Ukraine and Western governments have rejected Russia’s claims over those territories and have described elections conducted there as illegitimate.
The final day of voting was marked by major Ukrainian drone attacks targeting several parts of Russia, including the Moscow region.
Russian authorities said that large numbers of drones were intercepted during the attacks, while officials in Moscow reported disruptions and damage linked to the strikes.
The attacks highlighted the security environment surrounding the election, which was conducted while Russian forces and Ukrainian forces remained engaged in an ongoing war.
Russian officials accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the electoral process, while Kyiv has continued to carry out long-range attacks against targets inside Russia as part of the wider conflict.
United Russia has dominated Russian parliamentary politics for years and has maintained a large majority in the State Duma.
In the 2021 parliamentary election, the party won more than 49% of the party-list vote and secured a constitutional majority when its party-list and single-member constituency victories were combined.
The latest preliminary results therefore place the party on course to remain the largest political force in the State Duma, although the final distribution of seats will depend on the completion of the vote count and official certification of results.
The election has also attracted international attention because it is the first parliamentary election held in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Final results are expected after election authorities complete the counting and verification process.
