President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has secured a record 355 seats in Russia’s 450-member State Duma, according to preliminary results released by electoral chief Ella Pamfilova following the country’s three-day parliamentary election.
With nearly all votes counted, United Russia surpassed its previous record of 343 seats set in 2016, giving the party an even larger supermajority in the lower house of parliament. The election was the first parliamentary vote held since Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in 2022.
Pamfilova said voter turnout exceeded 59 percent and thanked citizens for participating despite what she described as “psychological pressure” on the country.
The Communist Party finished second with 40 seats, while the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) won 25 seats. The New People party secured 20 seats.
United Russia has remained the dominant force in Russian politics since the early 2000s, while Putin has been in power since the end of 1999. Pamfilova noted that more than 95 percent of ballots had been counted and said final results would be announced later in the week.
The election took place amid ongoing international scrutiny of Russia’s political environment and its continued involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
