Putin Claims Record‑High Majority for United Russia Following Wartime Parliamentary Elections

President Vladimir Putin declared on Wednesday that Russia’s wartime parliamentary election, which reinforced the Kremlin’s dominant legislative position, reflected broad public backing for its policies.

With more than 97% of ballots counted after three days of voting that concluded on Sunday, officials reported that the Kremlin’s dominant party, United Russia, is projected to capture over three‑quarters of the seats in the lower house, the State Duma, marking a record‑high majority. The highly managed election process left little room for genuine opposition candidates.

Voter turnout surpassed 59% of the roughly 111 million eligible voters, the highest participation in a parliamentary election in more than a decade. Authorities extended voting over three days to increase turnout and incorporated the illegally annexed Ukrainian territories, while some regions also offered online voting.

“The unprecedented turnout demonstrates that Russians support our efforts to strengthen the nation,” Putin said in televised remarks during a meeting with senior officials, his first public comment on the result.

The election occurred amid ongoing Ukrainian drone assaults. On Sunday alone, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced it had intercepted 1,110 drones.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 450 drones were shot down over the capital, calling it the “largest ever” attempted assault aimed at干扰投票. The strike damaged an oil refinery and a residential building, resulting in three deaths and 38 injuries across the Moscow region, according to officials.

“They attempted to undermine our efforts and disrupt the election, as shown by the enemy’s persistent attempts to breach air defenses around Moscow and other regions,” Putin remarked. “However, long lines at polling stations demonstrate that Russia cannot be intimidated.”

This parliamentary election was the first since Putin initiated the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the first to incorporate voters from four Ukrainian regions that Moscow seized and subsequently annexed. In a polling station in the Russian‑controlled part of Donetsk, voters cast their ballots as an armed Russian soldier watched.

Balloting also took place in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, a move condemned as illegal by Kyiv.

Putin also addressed Russian servicemen serving in Ukraine.

“Comrades, know that this vote was for you. The people trust you, they believe in our victory, in your courage, heroism, and devotion to the Motherland,” he told them.

“I have no doubt that all the objectives we set for the special military operation will be achieved,” Putin added, using the Kremlin’s designation for the war.

An extensive state‑run media campaign and tight electoral controls enabled the Kremlin to reinforce its political dominance, despite economic challenges and sustained long‑range Ukrainian drone strikes.

Preliminary tallies projected that United Russia would secure between 347 and 355 of the 450 Duma seats. The party garnered just under 58 % of the votes allocated to party‑list contests and also won 208 single‑member constituencies that fill the remaining half of the chamber.

Several smaller parties, constituting the “systemic opposition” that aligns with the Kremlin on key policy matters, are expected to capture most of the remaining seats. Only a few candidates running without party affiliation are projected to win.

The liberal Yabloko party, the sole registered entity that has openly criticized the war, was barred from the ballot by Russia’s Supreme Court last month, fielding only a handful of candidates in single‑member races. Early results show none of its candidates winning a seat.

Source link