Russia wraps up first wartime parliamentary election with Kremlin dominance all but assured, tell me about this news in (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/20/russia-voting-ends-kremlin/)
21-09-2026
This article covers the conclusion of Russia’s three-day parliamentary elections, which mark the first legislative election held since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
The main points reported include:
Kremlin Dominance Ensured: The ruling party, United Russia, is virtually guaranteed to retain strong control of the 450-seat State Duma. The Kremlin aimed to use this election to demonstrate domestic support for the ongoing war and consolidate its political control amid economic strain and drone strikes.
Exclusion of Genuine Opposition: Genuine anti-war opposition was largely shut out. The liberal Yabloko party, the sole registered entity openly opposing the war, was disqualified from party-list ballots by Russia’s Supreme Court, leaving only a limited number of individual constituency candidates. Other prominent critics were either imprisoned or in exile abroad. Remaining secondary parties on the ballot belong to the “systemic opposition,” which routinely votes in alignment with Vladimir Putin on core issues.
Voting in Occupied Ukrainian Territories: For the first time, voting was extended to residents of four partially occupied regions of Ukraine (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson) that Moscow claimed to annex in 2022, as well as Crimea. Ukrainian authorities, human rights groups, and the European Union condemned the process as illegal and a violation of international law, citing coercion and armed supervision at polling stations.
Voting Irregularities and Electronic Systems: Independent monitors and opposition groups reported various irregularities, including observers being barred, unsecured ballot boxes, and pressures to use electronic voting terminals instead of paper ballots. The Central Election Commission in turn claimed the electronic voting infrastructure experienced cyberattacks.
Protests and Exiled Opposition: Demonstrations organized by exiled opposition groups, under actions such as “Noon for a Peaceful Russia,” took place outside Russian embassies in cities like Yerevan and Berlin, where voters and anti-war activists protested Kremlin policies and the conduct of the election.