Russia Votes in First Wartime Parliamentary Election

Russians are voting in a three-day parliamentary election that began on September 18 and concludes on September 20, marking the first legislative vote since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The election for the 450-seat State Duma is widely expected to cement the dominance of the ruling United Russia party in a tightly controlled political landscape. Voting is also being conducted in four Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine and the West condemn this as illegal, and human rights activists report residents in these territories are being coerced to participate. Russian authorities state these regions have over 3.5 million eligible voters. The political environment is heavily restricted. The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered party campaigning against the war, was barred from the nationwide party-list ballot by a Supreme Court ruling in August. Some of its candidates remain in single-member constituencies. Most other openly antiwar candidates have been excluded from the national contest. President Vladimir Putin has framed the election as a referendum on the war effort.