Although the result is not in question, external observers will carefully monitor the voting turnout and the victory margin of the pro-Kremlin party “United Russia”, looking for signs of public discontent after more than four and a half years of war.
The Russians will go to the polls from Friday to Sunday to elect the 450 deputies of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in the first legislative election since the launch of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Voters will also cast their votes for regional legislators and governors in 11 regions.
But the citizens’ ability to choose is actually extremely limited, say experts cited by the independent publication The Moscow Times. The electoral programs of the main parties are, broadly speaking, similar and largely support the Kremlin’s policies.
Among the main political parties competing for seats in the Duma are the ruling pro-Kremlin party, “United Russia”, the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), “A Just Russia”, “New People” and “Yabloko”.
The only alternative to the Kremlin is “Yabloko”, which bases its campaign on an anti-war platform, but the oldest liberal party in Russia has been excluded from the party list vote for the State Duma.
United Russia will obtain the majority of votes.
The elections will take place for the first time also in the four partially occupied regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed and where the fighting continues.
The voting will take place over the course of three days, and 33 regions will offer the possibility of electronic voting – two measures that, according to critics, could facilitate the manipulation of results.
Ancient observers anticipate that “United Russia”, which currently holds 321 of the 450 seats in the State Duma, will receive the majority of votes.
Considering that the outcome is predetermined and that Putin’s political domination is under no immediate threat, analysts assert that the Kremlin views the elections as an effort to mobilize public support for war and to legitimize its actions.
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