Putin’s United Russia Party Wins Record Supermajority in Parliamentary Election
- Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova announced that United Russia won 355 of the 450 seats in Russia's lower house, surpassing its previous record of 343 seats and expanding its...
- The parliamentary vote, which ran from September 18 to September 20, 2026, marked the first national legislative election since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
- United Russia, which has dominated Russian politics for 25 years, faced no genuine systemic opposition on the ballot.
Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova announced that United Russia won 355 of the 450 seats in Russia’s lower house, surpassing its previous record of 343 seats and expanding its legislative dominance in a political landscape where parties critical of the Kremlin or the ongoing conflict in Ukraine were excluded.
The parliamentary vote, which ran from September 18 to September 20, 2026, marked the first national legislative election since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Voting also took place in four Ukrainian regions seized and illegally annexed by Moscow later that year. Turnout reached over 59%, according to Central Electoral Commission figures cited by Le Monde, with election authorities thanking security services for ensuring maximum security amid what Pamfilova called psychological pressure on Russia.
Opposition Exclusion and Election Results Breakdown
United Russia, which has dominated Russian politics for 25 years, faced no genuine systemic opposition on the ballot. According to Al Jazeera, Yabloko, registered as the only anti-war party in Russia, was removed from the national ballot by the Supreme Court last month, though it secured about 12,000 votes and entered the regional parliament in the Novgorod region.
With United Russia capturing 355 seats, the party holds more than three-quarters of the Duma, granting it the constitutional power to amend laws and the constitution. The Russian Communist Party placed second in the election with 40 seats, while the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) secured 25 seats and the New People party won 20 seats. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists during a briefing that the results demonstrate the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around the head of state.
War Context and International Condemnation
The election coincided with an escalation of the Ukraine war. On September 20, 2026, the final day of voting, Kyiv launched a drone attack that killed two people and set an oil refinery ablaze inside Russia, according to Le Monde. The Kremlin used the ballot as a domestic barometer on public sentiment regarding the military campaign, while independent analysts noted that the vote took place under conditions of strict censorship where criticizing the armed forces is banned.
International reaction to the vote was critical. European Union High Representative Kaja Kallas dismissed the process as a so-called election, stating that the Kremlin silenced dissent, barred anti-war candidates, and shut out international election monitors. In a joint statement, five countries including Australia, Britain, and Canada condemned the voting procedures in occupied Ukrainian territories as part of a wider system of occupation. Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) criticized Moscow’s decision to exclude its observers, with OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons stating that the move violated Russia’s commitments as a member state.