Russia's pro-Putin party wins 355 Duma seats, anti-war Yabloko fails national test
Russia's ruling United Russia party is set to secure a record 355 seats in the 450-member State Duma, according to near-complete official results from the country's first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
The party won 57.83% of the vote, up from 49.8% in the 2021 parliamentary election, according to Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova. The result gives United Russia a constitutional majority, allowing it to pass legislation and initiate constitutional amendments without support from other parties. advertisement❮❯ Read Full StoryUNITED RUSSIA EXPANDS PARLIAMENTARY DOMINANCEWith more than 95% of ballots counted, United Russia was leading in 208 of the 225 single-member constituencies, taking its total projected strength to 355 seats — its largest-ever representation in the Duma and above its previous record of 343 seats in 2016.
The Communist Party was projected to win 40 seats, while the LDPR was set for 25 and New People for 20. Just Russia was hovering around the 5% threshold, with the final composition of the chamber still subject to the completion of counting.
The election was held over three days and included voting for regional parliaments and governors. President Vladimir Putin had presented the parliamentary vote as a test of support for Russia and its war in Ukraine.ANTI-WAR YABLOKO GETS REGIONAL FOOTHOLD
Yabloko, the only registered party openly campaigning against the war, failed to win representation in the national parliament. However, the party appeared to have crossed the 5% threshold in the Novgorod regional election, potentially giving it a small presence there.
With nearly 97% of votes counted in Novgorod, Yabloko was about one percentage point above the threshold. The party said more than 12,000 residents had voted for it.
Yabloko has called for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Many of its candidates were barred from contesting, according to Reuters, in an election held in a political environment critics describe as tightly controlled.TURNOUT CROSSES 59%
Pamfilova put voter turnout at 59.3% among roughly 111 million eligible voters, describing it as a record for a State Duma election. The vote continued despite a major Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow on the final day of polling.
The Central Election Commission described the election as "clean", while opposition activists in exile alleged widespread electoral manipulation. These competing claims remain disputed.
The final State Duma results are expected to be formally announced on September 25.- EndsWith inputs from ReutersPublished By: Nitish SinghPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 02:49 IST
