On Friday, Russian authorities opened polls for the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, extending voting through Sunday and offering electronic ballot options to encourage participation among the nation’s 111 million eligible voters.
Election Structure and Expected Outcome
Voters will cast two separate ballots: one to fill half of the State Duma’s 450 seats by selecting political parties, and another to choose individual candidates in single‑seat constituencies. The Kremlin’s United Russia party is virtually guaranteed to retain its dominant majority, while smaller parties that align with the government are expected to keep their limited presence.
Limited Opposition and Ballot Restrictions
The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered group that has publicly criticized the war, was removed from the ballot by Russia’s Supreme Court last month and now fields only a few dozen candidates in single‑seat races. Additional anti‑war politicians have been detained or forced to leave the country ahead of the campaign.
Inclusion of Annexed Territories
For the first time, the election includes residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has illegally annexed since the conflict began, as well as voters in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula seized in 2014. Ukrainian officials have condemned the voting in these occupied areas as illegal and warned that participation could expose individuals to criminal liability.
Context of Ongoing Conflict
The election follows a summer of Ukrainian long‑range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, which triggered a nationwide fuel shortage. Attacks on warehouses belonging to online retailers Wildberries and Ozon have further strained the Russian economy, bringing the war’s impact directly to everyday citizens.
President’s Message
President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation before voting began, urging citizens to demonstrate their support for the armed forces and to show that “millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland.”
International Reaction
Authorities in Kyiv have denounced the ballot as illegitimate and called on foreign governments and international organizations not to recognize the results. They warned that anyone assisting with the organization of the vote could face criminal charges under Ukrainian law.
The election is widely viewed as a move by the Kremlin to cement its political dominance and to provide a veneer of popular legitimacy for its ongoing war effort.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
