Kathmandu, September 21 — Russia’s ruling United Russia party, backed by President Vladimir Putin, is leading in the preliminary results of the country’s parliamentary election.
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, United Russia had secured around 58 percent of the vote under the proportional representation system after ballots from approximately 58 percent of polling stations had been counted.
The State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, has 450 seats. Half of the seats are elected through the proportional representation system, while the remaining 225 seats are contested in individual constituencies. Preliminary results indicate that United Russia candidates are also leading in most of the direct constituencies.
The election was held with limited participation from major opposition forces critical of Putin’s policies. Many opposition figures were reportedly prevented from standing as candidates.
Voting was also conducted in four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have occupied, as well as in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Ukraine has rejected the voting in those territories as illegal, while the European Union has also criticized the move as being contrary to international law.
The preliminary success of United Russia, which enjoys Putin’s backing, is expected to further strengthen the Kremlin’s political influence.
Initial results also indicate that four other parties generally supportive of Kremlin policies are on course to retain their presence in the State Duma.
The election was conducted amid significant restrictions on political competition and freedom of expression. The final distribution of parliamentary seats will become clear after the complete official results are announced.
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