Russia election results show Putin’s party winning: What we know

Early results emerging from Russia’s first parliamentary elections since the launch of the full-fledged war on Ukraine show President Vladimir Putin’s party dominating the vote — an outcome widely predicted.

The election, which began on Friday and ended on Sunday to elect members of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, is projected to see Putin’s United Russia maintain its hold amid a tightly controlled election in which opposition to the president’s policies remains limited.

Despite the lack of alternatives to United Russia, the Kremlin had positioned the vote as a chance for residents to have their say since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and amid economic hardship.

Most antiwar candidates have been barred from the ballot. Those who did run from the liberal Yabloko party said they feared for their freedom after two senior party figures were handed long jail terms before the election due to comments made about the Russia-Ukraine war.

Still, Yabloko’s leader, Nikolai Rybakov, demonstrably spoiled his ballot paper, writing his party’s name and the slogan “For peace”.

The state news agency TASS reported on Monday that 90.43 percent of ballots had been counted, according to data from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

The CEC found that, as of Sunday night, voter turnout stood just below 57 percent.

United Russia led with 57.86 percent of the vote, with 225 deputies apportioned from party lists. In single-seat races, another 225 lawmakers will be chosen, and Putin’s party is also projected to win most of them.