Putin’s party sets new record in Russian elections, United Russia wins 349 out of 450-member State Duma | Today’s news
Russia’s ruling United Russia party secured a record 349 seats in the 450-seat State Duma, according to final results announced Friday by the Central Election Commission, giving the Kremlin-backed party its largest parliamentary representation to date.
The result beats United Russia’s previous record of 343 seats won in 2016, and follows Russia’s first parliamentary election since President Vladimir Putin launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Earlier preliminary results had predicted 355 seats before the final count was announced.
The head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, said United Russia won 58% of the vote on the party’s ticket and 209 of the 225 single-member constituencies, bringing its final tally to 349 seats.
Russian State Duma Election 2026: How many seats did each party win?
The Communist Party emerged as the second largest group with 37 seats, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party with 23, New People with 19 and Just Russia with 17.
The remaining four seats went to candidates who ran without party affiliation.
Read also | Citizens of 47 countries, including India, recruited by Russia for the war: Zelenskyj
The election was held from September 18 to 20 in Russia’s 450-member lower house. According to election authorities, nearly 60% of the country’s 111 million eligible voters participated.
The State Duma is elected by a mixed system, with 225 legislators selected through party lists and another 225 through single-member constituencies.
Russian elections 2026: 46 Ukrainian war veterans entered parliament
One of the notable features of the new parliament is the number of Ukrainian war veterans elected as legislators.
Pamfilova said that 46 veterans won seats, including 41 representing United Russia. Putin has previously described veterans returning from war as part of Russia’s “new elite”.
The Kremlin welcomed their election.
Read also | Putin vs Europe: Why Macron and Le Pen are suddenly sounding the alarm on Russia
“This is excellent. The experience of our heroes is in great demand. The results of the vote clearly confirmed this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
“Each of them will be the greatest possible contribution in any initiative they undertake,” Peskov said.
Reuters reported that the Kremlin highlighted the entry of veterans into parliament as part of a broader effort to bring former service members into political and public life.
Independent Russian media have reported allegations that several newly elected veteran lawmakers have been charged with war crimes in Ukraine. These allegations were not proven as convictions in the election results.
Why the 2026 parliamentary elections are significant in Russia
The vote was the first State Duma election since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Votes were also held in Crimea and four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed it will annex in 2022. Kyiv has rejected Russia’s authority to hold elections in those territories.
Read also | Trump’s Russia sanctions squeeze India, China: Can Africa help Putin?
The election environment prompted international scrutiny. Parties and candidates critical of the Kremlin and its war policies have faced restrictions, while the liberal Yabloko party was struck from the national party list by Russia’s highest court ahead of the election.
Russia also did not invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Ukraine drone attacks overshadow Russian election
The parliamentary vote took place amid ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory.
Russian authorities said air defense intercepted more than 1,100 Ukrainian drones during the election period, including hundreds heading toward Moscow in the last day. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the attack as the biggest attack against the capital so far.
Authorities said three people were killed and 38 wounded in the greater Moscow region, while Pamfilova said six election workers were killed and 75 polling stations were damaged or destroyed by shelling.
Read also | Nestlé’s Russian assets seized by Putin: How big is its business in the country?
The newly elected State Duma is due to hold its first session on Wednesday, with Russian media reporting that Vyacheslav Volodin should remain speaker.
