Russia's parliamentary election produced few surprises, with President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party maintaining a commanding lead in a tightly controlled political vote.
In preliminary results released Monday by Russia’s Central Election Commission, United Russia had about 58% of the party-list vote, with more than 80% of precinct results counted. Its candidates were also leading in 208 of the State Duma’s 225 single-member districts, putting the party on course to maintain a constitutional majority in the 450-seat chamber.
Russia held its first parliamentary vote since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The backdrop was the ongoing fighting, economic pressure, and ever more frequent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory.
The result for United Russia came despite mounting pressures related to the war, including fuel shortages partly due to attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Russian authorities have admitted to shortages of petrol in some areas, while Ukraine has continued to target energy facilities.
The parties are also well-known names in the State Duma, trailing United Russia. Preliminary figures showed the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, and the New People far behind the ruling party. In the latest count, A Just Russia was just above the 5% threshold, leaving its final party-list status still up in the air until the count was completed.
The political arena was more restricted than in a normal contest of rival parties in a parliamentary election.
In August, Russia’s Supreme Court barred Yabloko, the country’s main openly anti-war party, from Russia’s federal party list. The court acted in response to a lawsuit by the nationalist Rodina party. Yabloko denied the charges on which its registration was challenged and appealed against the decision.
The election was partly partisan. In some single-member constituencies, Yabloko candidates remained in the race, but some candidates were later dropped from individual races. The party also complained about problems with election observers and pressure on candidates. Those allegations should remain separate from the independently verified results of the election.
“Political competition was very narrow in the election. Most anti-war candidates were barred from running, through exclusion or other means, leaving voters with a field dominated by parties that largely support the Kremlin’s policies. The election also took place amid a resurgence of Ukrainian drone attacks.
Russia said it had come under a major drone attack by Ukraine in the Moscow region on the final day of voting. Russian authorities reported casualties and damage to an oil refinery and other facilities. The attacks highlighted the growing impact of the war in regions deep behind the front line.
But for voters in Moscow, the attacks seemed to have little effect on their daily lives.
That means the more important implications of the election may be less who won than how the Kremlin interprets the outcome.
Putin has sought to use the election to demonstrate popular support for his policies, and Russian officials have stressed political stability and unity. Now, the Kremlin can point to the results as proof of continuing support for the ruling party and use that argument in defense of its domestic and wartime policies.
One question is how the outcome will impact Russia’s military policy.
But Putin has said there is no need for another wave of military mobilization at this time. But the possibility remains a source of public concern and political discussion, especially as Russia continues its war in Ukraine.
For now, the election has merely cemented the existing power structure in Moscow.
The more important question is what the Kremlin does with that political position and whether the election result justifies continuing the current course or rolling out new measures as the war enters another phase.
