Putin’s victory certain, yet Russia goes to polls:Voting also held in Ukraine-occupied regions; party opposing the war excluded

Russia’s three-day parliamentary election began on Friday, 18 September. President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is expected to retain its dominance in parliament. Meanwhile, the Yabloko party, which has openly opposed the war in Ukraine, has been excluded from the election. This is the first parliamentary election since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive against Ukraine in 2022. Voting is also taking place in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. Ukraine and the European Union have described the voting there as illegal. Why is the election important when Putin’s party holds sway? Putin and his party already have a strong grip on power in Russia. This raises the question: what is the need for and significance of this election? For the Kremlin, this election matters for more than just choosing members of parliament. Putin wants large numbers of people to vote, sending a message that the public stands with the government and Russian soldiers even amid the war in Ukraine. Putin voted online on Friday. Before the election, he said that the people’s decision would show that millions of people stand with Russia’s soldiers and that the country is united. Voting underway for 450 seats Russia’s State Duma has a total of 450 seats. Of these, people will vote for political parties in 225 constituencies. In the remaining 225 constituencies, they will choose one of the candidates contesting from different regions. Besides United Russia, parties such as the Communist Party, LDPR, A Just Russia and New People are also contesting the election. However, these parties’ positions are not very different from that of the government. They usually support the government on major issues. Anti-war Yabloko party barred from election Yabloko was Russia’s only registered party that had openly opposed the war in Ukraine. Russia’s Supreme Court barred it last month from contesting elections under the party’s name. However, some of its candidates are contesting individual seats as independent candidates. Some other anti-war leaders have been sent to prison or forced to leave Russia. As a result, political voices openly opposing the war in Ukraine have been significantly reduced in the election. Russian voters have differing preferences People who came to vote in Moscow do not share the same views. Dmitry Kirillin said he wanted change and wanted to see another party in power. Alexander Vartukhin, meanwhile, said that the work being done by Putin’s party and the Communist Party was sufficient. At a polling station, Galina Vavilova said that the most important thing at present was for the war in Ukraine to end. She said that everyone wanted peace. Pensioner Lyudmila Kalinina wants people’s lives to improve and the gap between the rich and poor to narrow. Professor Vladimir Chubarev, 72, said he hoped the government’s plans would succeed. He also spoke of a Russian victory. The impact of the war is also being felt inside Russia The election is taking place at a time when the impact of Ukrainian drone attacks is also being felt inside Russia. During the summer, Ukraine carried out long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. This was followed by fuel shortages in several parts of Russia. The warehouses of online retailers Wildberries and Ozon were also attacked. As a result, the impact of the war is no longer limited to areas where fighting is taking place. People living in other parts of Russia are feeling its effects too. Voting also taking place in occupied Ukrainian territories For the first time, Russia is also including people from Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia territories in this election. In 2022, Russia claimed to have incorporated all four territories into the country, declaring them part of Russia. However, Ukraine and most other countries do not recognise this. Russia does not have full control over any of these four territories. Voting is also taking place in Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. An armed Russian soldier was also seen standing near people casting their votes in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk. Ukraine and EU say they will not recognise election Ukraine has described the voting taking place in the occupied territories as illegal. It has appealed to other countries and international organisations not to recognise these elections or their results. The European Union has also said that it will not recognise the elections held in these territories or their results. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said that the people of Russia were not being offered different political alternatives for the country’s future. Election observers not invited Russia has not invited election observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, this time. According to the European Union, this raises questions about election monitoring. The EU said it would continue to support human rights groups, independent media and civil society organisations in Russia. ​