United Russia Retains Constitutional Majority in the Duma

The United Russia party will retain its constitutional majority following the September 17-19 elections to the State Duma. With more than 99 percent of the ballots being counted, the United Russia receives almost 50 percent of the votes on party lists. In addition, 199 party representatives, according to the CEC, are leading in single-mandate constituencies. Together, this gives about 315 out of 450 mandates in the new State Duma. This is less than United Russia had before, but more than the 300 seats required for a constitutional majority. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation is in second place - it has about 19 percent of the votes on federal lists, and party representatives are in the lead in 9 single-mandate constituencies. The Communist Party managed to win elections, according to preliminary data, in five regions: Yakutia, Khabarovsk Territory, Ulyanovsk Region, Mari El and Nenets Autonomous Okrug. United Russia has gained a confident majority in the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol. The turnout in the elections, as reported by the head of the CEC Ella Pamfilova, exceeded 51 percent, which is slightly more than in 2016. Eight candidates from "A Just Russia" and one each from the Liberal Democratic Party, the Party of Growth, "Rodina" and "Civic Platform", as well as several self-nominated candidates, were elected to Duma in single-mandate constituencies. Most of those who entered the Duma not from the United Russia party were supported by the so-called Smart Voting of Alexei Navalny's supporters. According to party lists, the LDPR and "A Just Russia - For Truth" also enter the Duma, gaining more than 7 percent of the vote. A fifth party will also appear in the Duma: New People overcame the 5% barrier. Numerous irregularities were recorded at the elections. The long absence of official data on electronic voting in Moscow has caused criticism from independent observers and the opposition, which suspects the authorities of falsifications - without regard for electronic voting, candidates supported by Alexei Navalny's Smart Voting were in the lead in a number of constituencies; The Communist Party of the Russian Federation, whose candidates were the first to be affected, announced they refuse to recognize the electronic voting results in Moscow. According to Pamfilova, violations at the elections have "significantly reduced", and the violations recorded "are given a harsh response." According to her, 25,830 ballots were invalidated across the country.