Putin’s party retains power in Russian vote marked by massive drone attack
Electoral chief says results show United Russia – dominating for 25 years – won 355 of the Duma’s 450 seats, the party’s highest ever
Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won a record supermajority in the Duma, authorities announced on Monday, after a tightly controlled three-day election without parties critical of the Kremlin or the war in Ukraine.
Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova said preliminary results showed United Russia – which has dominated Russian politics for 25 years – won 355 of the Duma’s 450 seats.
The result handed Putin’s party an increased supermajority and beat its previous record of 343 seats. The supermajority means it can change the constitution, if it needs to.
These indicators, of course, point to the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around the head of state
The result is expected to further tighten Putin’s grip on power. The Kremlin said the result of the first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in early 2022 showed Russians were united around their leader, who has been in power since New Year’s Eve 1999.
“These indicators, of course, point to the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around the head of state,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing.