President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has won 355 of the 450 seats in Russia’s State Duma, according to preliminary results released by the country’s electoral authorities on Monday.
The result gives the ruling party its largest parliamentary majority since it came to power and exceeds the previous record of 343 seats secured in the 2016 election.
Russia’s Central Election Commission said more than 95 per cent of ballots had been counted following a three-day parliamentary election that ended on Sunday. Final results are expected later this week.
Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova put voter turnout at more than 59 per cent and praised voters for taking part despite what she described as “psychological pressure” on the country.
United Russia’s sweeping victory came amid continuing restrictions on political opposition and criticism of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.
The election was the first parliamentary poll held in Russia since the country launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine in 2022.
The Communist Party emerged as the second-largest force in the new Duma, with 40 seats, while the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) won 25 seats. The New People party secured 20 seats.
No parties openly critical of Putin took part in the election, with the Kremlin maintaining tight control over Russia’s political and electoral environment.
United Russia has dominated Russian politics since the early 2000s, while Putin has remained the country’s central political figure since he first assumed the presidency on December 31, 1999.
The latest result is expected to preserve United Russia’s overwhelming control of the legislature, strengthening its ability to pass legislation with limited parliamentary opposition.
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