The Central Election Commission of Russia (CEC) has announced the first results of the State Duma elections, showing that the ruling party, United Russia, has secured 57.54% of the votes. The Communist Party (KPRF) follows with 13.80%, while the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) garnered 9.30%.
Other parties have also made their mark, with New People receiving 7.92% and Just Russia getting 5.12%. The Pensioners’ Party has achieved 1.99% of the votes.
CEC head Ella Pamfilova stated that these figures represent the counting of 13.88% of the protocols. During the results announcement, Pamfilova mistakenly mixed up the data, initially placing LDPR in second place, which caused confusion. Realizing her error, she humorously apologized, saying, “Colleagues, it’s not as it seems, my apologies.”
Context
- The elections are being held from September 18 to 20. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously urged citizens to participate in the voting, calling it a collective contribution to Russia’s victory.
- Voting is also taking place in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, prompting strong protests from Ukraine. The Parliament has reached out to the international community regarding the elections’ illegitimacy.
- This year, Putin voted online and was seen reacting to the process, likely concerned about making the wrong choice.
- Reports of voting irregularities have surfaced, with claims that opposition observers were barred from polling stations, and instances of ballot tampering have been noted in St. Petersburg.
