Russia’s ruling United Russia party has secured a record majority in the State Duma, winning 349 of 450 seats in elections held over September 18–20. The result surpasses the party’s previous high of 343 seats in 2016 and hands the Kremlin a comfortable constitutional majority. Independent analysts and election monitors describe the vote as the least competitive in Russia’s post-Soviet history.
Results at a glance
- United Russia: 349 seats
- Communist Party: 37 · LDPR: 23 · New People: 19 · A Just Russia: 17
- Official turnout: 59.8%, including voting in occupied areas of Ukraine
A wartime parliament
This was the first Duma election since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the new parliament reflects it. Veterans of the war won 46 seats, a first for the chamber. Officials reported turnout of 59.8%, the highest since 2011 — a figure that includes ballots cast in Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation, which Kyiv and most of the international community consider illegal.
Opposition kept off the ballot
Yabloko, the only registered party campaigning for peace, was removed from the national party-list ballot by Russia’s Supreme Court in August. Its candidates in single-member districts reported interference, police detentions and disqualifications. Public criticism of the war is illegal under laws passed since 2022, and genuine opposition figures were absent from the lists.
The election confirmed what most observers expected: a parliament designed to endorse, not debate, the Kremlin’s priorities.
Voting abroad
About 280,000 Russians voted at 333 polling stations in 152 countries, with United Russia taking 58% of those votes — a lower share than at home, reflecting the large number of Russians who left the country after 2022.
Why it matters
- Legislative control: A constitutional majority allows the government to pass any legislation, including constitutional amendments, without needing other parties.
- War policy: The new Duma is expected to back continued military spending and tough laws on dissent.
- International reaction: Western governments are unlikely to recognise results from occupied territories.
Independent Russian media have also reported that several newly elected veteran lawmakers face accusations of war crimes in Ukraine, which they have not addressed publicly. Read more in our Politics section.