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Russia’s electoral authorities have announced final results from the country’s latest parliamentary election, with President Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia party securing a larger majority in the State Duma.
The election, held from September 18 to 20, was Russia’s first parliamentary vote since Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022. Voting was also organised in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, a move criticised by Western governments.
Russia’s electoral commission chief, Ella Pamfilova, said United Russia won 349 of the 450 seats in the lower house of parliament, surpassing its previous record of 343 seats. The result gives the party an expanded supermajority, strengthening its ability to pass legislation with limited opposition in the chamber.
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The election was conducted without major opposition participation, with critics saying political competition in Russia has been heavily restricted under Putin’s rule.
Pamfilova also announced that 46 veterans of Russia’s war in Ukraine would take seats in the next parliament, including 41 United Russia members.
The Kremlin has promoted military veterans as part of a wider effort to give them greater roles in public life. Putin has previously described them as Russia’s “new elite”. Responding to the number of veterans entering parliament, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the development was positive.
“The experience of our heroes is in demand,” Peskov said, adding that former soldiers would contribute “their input” to parliamentary work.
The European Union criticised the vote, describing it as a “so-called” election and saying it represented a “veneer of democracy”. Western countries also rejected voting held in occupied Ukrainian territories.
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The exiled Novaya Gazeta Europe website, which Russia has labelled an “undesirable organisation”, reported claims from election observers, candidates and party representatives alleging pressure and irregularities at polling stations.
The outlet said critics believed United Russia’s actual support was significantly lower and alleged that authorities manipulated the process to secure the announced outcome.
Putin has remained Russia’s dominant political figure since becoming president in 1999, while United Russia has controlled the country’s political system since the early 2000s.
