Early results emerge in Russian parliamentary elections

20.09.2026 22:26

Early results emerge in Russian parliamentary elections

Voting has wrapped up across Russia in three-day parliamentary elections to choose a new State Duma, as well as thousands of regional and local representatives. The preliminary results are expected to be released shortly after polling stations close in Russia’s westernmost regions.

Overnight Saturday into Sunday, Ukraine launched one of the most powerful drone raids on Moscow Region, which officials say was aimed at derailing the election.

Polling stations opened on Friday across Russia’s 11 time zones, starting in the Far East and moving westward, with the voting expected to wrap up at 8 PM local time Sunday in most regions. More than 111 million people are eligible to vote in Russia, with another 1.8 million registered abroad.

Final turnout was 56.66%, the Central Election Commission has said. With some 20% of ballots processed, the ruling United Russia party commands a solid lead with some 57.1% of the vote, according to official figures.

The Communist Party (KPRF) is second with some 14%, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with 9.32%, and the New People with nearly 8%. The Just Russia party is so far just above the 5% threshold for inclusion in the Duma, according to early results.

Factions-wise, the composition of the incoming Russian parliament appears headed to remain the same, with all other parties likely slated to fail to pass the threshold.

Overnight Saturday into Sunday, Moscow and the capital region came under a huge Ukrainian drone raid, which killed two civilians and damaged an oil refinery, residential buildings, and civilian infrastructure. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the “unprecedented” attack – which involved more than 1,600 UAVs – was aimed at disrupting the elections, but failed to do so.

All 450 State Duma seats are up for election. Half are allocated through federal party lists, while the other 225 deputies are elected in single-member constituencies. Ten political parties are competing through party lists, which generally require at least 5% of the vote to secure seats.

The parliamentary election coincides with more than 2,200 regional and municipal campaigns, with around 20,700 mandates and elected posts at stake. Of Russia’s 89 regions, 11 are choosing their leaders, including eight through direct popular votes, while 39 are electing legislatures.

President Vladimir Putin cast his ballot online from his Kremlin office on Friday. In an address on Wednesday, he urged Russians to participate, saying the lawmakers elected for the next five years would “shape our future” and that “every voter’s voice matters.”

Remote electronic voting is available in 33 regions. Thirty-two are using the federal platform, while Moscow operates its own system. More than four million people applied to vote remotely through the federal system, with over 2.5 million ballots cast by 16:31 Moscow time on Friday.

Russians abroad can vote at 333 polling stations in 152 countries, most of which will operate only on Sunday.

Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova said that more than four million people had cast early ballots in 12 regions where special voting arrangements were introduced over security concerns. These include the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson, and Zaporozhye Regions, as well as eight Russian regions near the Ukraine conflict zone.

Another 260,000 people voted early in 37 other regions, mostly in remote or hard-to-reach areas.

Residents of the DPR, LPR, Kherson, and Zaporozhye Regions are taking part in State Duma elections for the first time since joining Russia following referendums in 2022.

Watch the report by RT’s Murad Gazdiev on how the election is being held under wartime conditions in the frontline regions.