Russia’s parliamentary election: Who’s on the ballot, and why it matters
United Russia won more than two-thirds of the Duma's seats in the 2021 election and is poised to dominate the body again
Russians head to the polls from Friday to Sunday to elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, in the first parliamentary election to be held since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The vote comes as Russians face a slowing economy as well as Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and warehouses far from the front line.
United Russia, the governing party that backs President Vladimir Putin, is expected to keep its dominant position.
Throughout Putin’s rule of more than a quarter-century, the Communists have criticised some aspects of government policy but carefully avoided any criticism of him. They steadfastly support the war in Ukraine.