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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has secured a record number of seats in the country’s lower house of parliament, according to preliminary results from the three-day parliamentary election.
Russia’s Central Election Commission said United Russia won 355 of the 450 seats in the State Duma, giving the party a larger supermajority than its previous record of 343 seats achieved in 2016.
Election chief Ella Pamfilova announced the figures on Monday, saying more than 95 per cent of ballots had been counted. She added that final results would be released later in the week.
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The election marked the first parliamentary vote in Russia since Moscow launched its military offensive in Ukraine in 2022. The vote took place under strict political controls, with authorities banning criticism of the military campaign and preventing several opposition groups critical of the Kremlin from participating.
Pamfilova said voter turnout exceeded 59 per cent, thanking citizens for taking part despite what she described as “psychological pressure” on the country.
“Thank you to all those who came to vote despite the pressure,” Pamfilova said, according to the election commission.
United Russia has remained Russia’s dominant political force since the early 2000s, with Putin in power since he became acting president on New Year’s Eve in 1999.
The Communist Party finished second with 40 seats, while the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) secured 25 seats. The New People party won 20 seats, according to preliminary figures.
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The result gives United Russia a strong position in shaping legislation in the Duma, where the party has maintained control for more than two decades.
The Kremlin has described the election as reflecting public support for the government, while critics of Russia’s political system have questioned the fairness of the electoral process, citing restrictions on opposition participation and media freedoms.
Final results are expected after the vote-counting process is completed later this week.
