Russian Parliamentary Elections: Voting in the Shadow of the Ukraine War

The Russian parliamentary elections will take place from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1, 2023. This election is the first voting process held since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022 and occurs under conditions where the Russian economy faces serious challenges. In this election, voters will choose members of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Details of the Elections and Their Conditions

In this round of elections, in addition to electing members of the State Duma, voters will also vote for governors in 11 regions and for members of local councils in 39 regions. To increase participation, voting will be held over three days, allowing approximately 111 million eligible voters to participate in the elections. Electronic voting is also permitted in this round.

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Half of the 450 seats in the State Duma will be elected through party lists, while the other half will be contested in single-member races. The ruling party, "United Russia," which enjoys the support of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, is expected to maintain its dominance in this election as well.

Party Presence and Electoral Challenges

The "United Russia" party, formed in 2001 from the merger of pro-Kremlin parties, has consistently succeeded in parliamentary elections and secured more than two-thirds of the State Duma seats in the 2021 elections. The party's list includes prominent political figures such as Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow. Additionally, Yuri Poddubny, a war correspondent injured in an attack by Ukraine, is listed as the third candidate.

Alongside "United Russia," other "system-opposition" parties will also participate in this election. The liberal party "Yabloko," the only registered party opposing the war in Ukraine, has been removed from the electoral list due to its anti-war stance. The Communist Party, which has been active in the Duma since the 1990s, continues to support Putin's war policies under the leadership of Gennady Zyuganov.

Political analysts believe that the competition for second place in this election will be interesting. If the Communist Party can secure second place, it may indicate voter dissatisfaction with economic conditions and low living standards.

The newly established "New People" party, which aims to attract the attention of youth and technocrats, managed to secure over 5% of the votes in the previous election and is now recognized as the voice of young and middle-aged liberals.

Although this election seems routine, holding it amid war and economic tensions has given it particular significance. In his speeches, Putin has referred to the connection between the elections and support for the war, stating that the duty of "United Russia" is to achieve victory in this war.

Moreover, this election presents an opportunity to express public dissatisfaction and criticisms of the government and the ruling party, especially as many citizens are unhappy with corruption within "United Russia."

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