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Russia holds a parliamentary election from September 18 to 20, with the ruling United Russia party expected to maintain its dominance over the 450-seat State Duma due to President Vladimir Putin's tight control of the political system. Current polls show United Russia leading with 37% support, while other parties like the Communist Party and Liberal Democratic Party broadly support the war in Ukraine and tend to vote alongside United Russia on key issues. The exclusion of liberal opposition groups and limitations on independent observers raise concerns about transparency and democratic accountability during this election.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Why this leaning score
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Leaning score -0.25 for article 10202 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-15
What to know about Russia's upcoming parliamentary election
MOSCOW, Sept 15 - Russia holds a parliamentary election on September 18 to 20, the first since it launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.
asserted
it → know → February
The political system is tightly controlled and the ruling United Russia party, backed by President Vladimir Putin, is widely expected to retain its dominance of the 450-seat State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
asserted
party → control → parliament
Here's what to look out for:
WHO IS BEING ELECTED?
asserted
WHO → look → ?
• Voters will elect all 450 members of the Duma to five-year terms.
asserted
Voters → elect → terms
Half of the seats are allocated through a nationwide party-list vote.
asserted
Half → allocate → vote
The other 225 are decided by voting in single-seat constituencies.
asserted
225 → decide → constituencies
• A survey by state pollster VTsIOM at the end of August showed United Russia far in the lead of other parties with 37% support among respondents, followed by the Communist Party with 11.6%.
asserted
Russia → show → %
• The margin of United Russia's expected win will be in focus.
asserted
margin → expect → focus
It currently has 310 seats in the Duma and needs to win at least 300 to keep its supermajority and ability to push through constitutional changes without other parties' support.
asserted
It → have → support
The four other parties expected to re-enter the Duma, including the Communist Party and the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, broadly support the war and tend to vote with United Russia on key issues.
asserted
parties → expect → issues
• The Supreme Court has barred the liberal Yabloko party from taking part in the party-list ballot, sidelining the only registered political party to oppose Russia's war in Ukraine.
asserted
Court → bar → Ukraine
Some Yabloko candidates are still running as the ruling does not apply to single-seat constituencies, but they appear unlikely to win any seats.
asserted
they → run → seats
• A number of other opposition politicians have been barred from participating after being designated as "foreign agents."
asserted
number → bar → agents
WHAT DO OBSERVERS SAY?
asserted
OBSERVERS → say → WHAT
• The only independent nationwide election watchdog, Golos, which sharply criticised the conduct of past elections, closed down in 2025 following years of pressure from the authorities.
asserted
which → criticise → authorities
• Moscow has not invited international monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to observe the upcoming vote, which the OSCE said reflected a pattern of Russian government disregard for transparency, democratic accountability and the rule of law.
asserted
OSCE → invite → law
• The OSCE says Russia's political system has become more restrictive since the last parliamentary vote in 2021 with the exclusion of candidates labelled "foreign agents," further limits on campaign financing and other measures.
asserted
system → say → financing
• Russian authorities have rejected criticism of the electoral process, saying voting is conducted in accordance with the law, and they have said that Russia's Western enemies are trying to undermine and disrupt the election.
asserted
enemies → reject → election
VOTING IN RUSSIAN-CONTROLLED UKRAINE
• The election is also being held in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
asserted
Russia → vote → regions
• Voting started early in some areas due to security reasons, according to the authorities.
uncertain
Voting → start → authorities
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