Putin’s United Russia party secured a majority in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house, following the country’s first parliamentary elections since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
The ruling party won around 58% of the vote for the 225 deputies elected via party lists, according to preliminary data from Russia’s Central Election Committee. Another 225 will be elected in single-mandate seats, where United Russia candidates are also dominating.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the elections “marked another major setback for Russian democracy” and their outcome “was never in doubt.”
Meanwhile, the UK, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada also condemned Russia’s “sham” parliamentary elections in swathes of occupied Ukraine, branding the move “part of a wider system of occupation”.
Politico: Putin’s party dominates in Russia’s sham elections
RFI: EU and five other countries condemn Russia’s ‘sham’ elections
Reuters: Russia’s Kadyrov re-elected leader of Chechnya with almost 100% of the vote
Euronews: Putin’s United Russia party wins record 355 parliament seats, election chief says
