Government
Putin's Party Officially Wins Elections, but Genuine Opposition Was Absent
Russia’s ruling United Russia party secured a record 355 of 450 State Duma seats with 57.83% of the vote, according to Central Election Committee head Ella Pamfilova after 95% of ballots were counted. Correspondent Olaf Koens and professor Michael Kemper noted that the election lacked genuine competition due to long-standing restrictions on free voting and the exclusion of anti-war parties like Yabloko. The Kremlin banned criticism of the war in Ukraine, leaving only nine opposition parties that did not challenge President Vladimir Putin or the conflict. This supermajority facilitates easier passage of laws and constitutional changes, marking the first Duma elections since the February 2022 invasion, which included voting in four occupied Ukrainian regions.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's