Russia election 2026: Russia’s United Russia Secures Record Duma Majority as Yabloko Gains Regional Foothold
Russia’s United Russia party wins a record 355 seats in the State Duma, while anti-war Yabloko appears to gain a foothold in Novgorod.
MOSCOW, Sept 21— Russia’s ruling United Russia party won a record 355 seats in the State Duma, according to near-complete official results Monday, while the anti-war Yabloko party appeared poised to win a small foothold in a regional legislature.
President Vladimir Putin had portrayed the three-day parliamentary election as a test of support for his government and the war in Ukraine. Elections for regional parliaments and governors were held simultaneously.
With more than 95% of ballots counted, Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova said United Russia had won 57.83% of the vote, up from 49.8% in the 2021 parliamentary election. Its 355 seats would give the party nearly 80% of the 450-member Duma, preserving its constitutional majority and exceeding its previous record of 343 seats in 2016.
Four other parties cleared the threshold for national representation: the Communist Party with 13.81%, the Liberal Democratic Party with 8.98%, New People with 7.96%, and Just Russia, which narrowly surpassed the 5% threshold.
Those parties have generally supported United Russia on major issues in recent years.
The election was held in a tightly controlled political environment. Critics of the Kremlin say genuine opposition is not tolerated, while Yabloko said many of its candidates were barred from running.
Pamfilova said turnout was 59.3% among Russia’s roughly 111 million eligible voters, describing the election as clean. Opposition activists in exile alleged widespread fraud.
Yabloko, Russia’s only registered party openly opposing the war, failed to win seats in the national parliament. But with nearly 97% of ballots counted in the Novgorod region, the party appeared to have crossed the 5% threshold for representation in the regional legislature.
Yabloko said more than 12,000 Novgorod residents had voted for its candidates. The party supports a cease-fire in Ukraine.
In Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, a close Putin ally, was re-elected to a fifth term with an official vote share of nearly 100%.
Putin and other officials had presented the election as a demonstration of national unity. Analysts cited by Reuters said authorities also had an interest in ensuring the voting process appeared orderly.
Some voters interviewed by Reuters said they hoped the election would bring an end to the war and ease economic and travel disruptions. Others said they were satisfied with the status quo.
Moscow resident Tatyana said she hoped the conflict in Ukraine would end soon through peaceful means. Another voter, Daniil, said he had been unable to cast a ballot because the voting system incorrectly indicated he had already voted.
Alexandra, who works at Moscow’s Tsum department store, said she was satisfied with the current situation and did not expect major changes after the election.
Main source: Reuters — “Pro-Putin party gets record 355 parliamentary seats, anti-war party a tiny regional foothold”
