Pro-Kremlin United Russia Wins State Duma Elections Amid High Turnout
According to exit polls released on September 20, by the state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) and reported by TASR based on AFP and Interfax dispatches, the pro-Kremlin party United Russia secured a clear victory in the elections to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, capturing 49.4 percent of the vote.
How the Parliamentary Seats and Parties Shake Out
Five political parties cleared the threshold to enter the parliament, according to the VCIOM exit poll data. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) finished second with 14.2 percent, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) with 10.7 percent, New People with 9.7 percent, and A Just Russia with 6.6 percent. Voters decided the composition of 450 members of the State Duma to serve a five-year term, with half of the seats distributed via party lists and the remaining 225 assigned to single-mandate district winners, as reported by TASR.
Early Balloting Data and Electoral Turnout Figures
Central Election Commission (CEC) Director Ella Pamfilova announced shortly after polling stations closed that, with 13.88 percent of the ballots counted, United Russia led the count with 57.54 percent, according to TASR. Concurrently, the RIA Novosti news agency reported that total voter turnout reached over 56.66 percent, surpassing participation rates recorded in 2021, 2016, 2003, and 1993.
Voting Across Occupied Territories and the Ban on Opposition
These contests marked the first Russian parliamentary vote conducted since the launch of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, featuring balloting for the first time on occupied Ukrainian territories including the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, alongside a second round of voting on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Meanwhile, the sole anti-war party, Yabloko, faced a court-mandated ban barring its participation from the State Duma ballot, leaving surviving parliamentary opposition parties that generally support the war in Ukraine and vote alongside United Russia on critical measures, according to TASR.
Did you know? Voting took place over a multi-day period from Friday, September 18, to Sunday, September 20, with polling stations opening first in the Kamchatka Peninsula and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and closing last in the Kaliningrad exclave, as detailed by TASR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of the vote did United Russia win in the exit poll?
United Russia won 49.4 percent of the vote according to the VCIOM exit poll cited by TASR.
Which parties entered the State Duma alongside United Russia?
According to VCIOM exit poll results reported by TASR, the KPRF, LDPR, New People, and A Just Russia entered the lower house.
How many seats are in the Russian State Duma?
Voters decided 450 seats in the State Duma, split evenly between party lists and single-mandate districts, according to TASR.
Where else did voting take place during these elections?
In addition to mainland Russia, balloting occurred on the Crimean peninsula and across occupied regions of Ukraine including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, per TASR reports.
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