Parliamentary elections are being held this week in Russia, with the Kremlin viewing the vote as a barometer of public opinion regarding the war with Ukraine, which has been ongoing for five years.
According to the French News Agency, a segment of the Russian population has grown weary of economic stagnation and Ukraine’s intense counteroffensives, and there are fears in some circles that Putin could order a mass mobilization of new soldiers after the elections.
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The vote—which will take place from September 18 to 20—will be the first since Russia launched its attacks on Ukraine in February 2022, and the second nationwide vote since the 2024 presidential election that re-elected Putin. The vote will also take place in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
With Moscow having banned criticism of the war, there will be no real opposition parties on the ballot, and the ruling party “United Russia” is certain to win a majority of seats in the Duma.
Even if the results are “predetermined,” the vote still matters, exiled Russian political scientist Nikolai Petrov told Agence France-Presse. For Putin—who has been in power for 26 years—it is important to “show the elites that he is still supported, that he still enjoys the trust of ordinary people,” Petrov said.
Half of the 450 available seats will be decided through a nationwide vote for party blocs, with the other half allocated to single-member districts across the country.
Only parties that support Putin and the war have been allowed to participate on the national ballot: the ruling “United Russia” party, the Communist Party, “A Just Russia,” the nationalist LDPR, and “Young People.” Russia’s only anti-war party still active in the country, Yabloko, has been barred from participating.
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Source: KYPE
