Russians began voting Friday in a three-day election for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. More than 110 million people are eligible to choose 450 lawmakers, with polls scheduled to close at 1800 GMT on Sunday, according to DW.
United Russia, the party backed by President Vladimir Putin, currently holds more than two-thirds of the chamber’s seats and is widely expected to preserve its dominance. That outcome would allow the government to continue its military campaign in Ukraine despite signs of declining public support, DW reported.
The election is the first parliamentary vote since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. DW said parties supporting Putin’s war are the only ones registered to compete, while the opposition has been barred from taking part.
The voting is nevertheless being viewed as an indication of public attitudes toward the war, which DW described as being in its fifth year. Sentiment is reportedly being affected by rising prices, internet crackdowns and fuel shortages, as well as rumors of another mobilization drive after the election.
Putin characterized the election as a “collective contribution to Russia’s victory against Ukraine,” according to DW. Voting began in the Kamchatka Peninsula and Chukotka, the first of Russia’s 11 time zones to open polling stations.
For the first time, voting is also taking place in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, despite opposition from Kyiv. Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, is participating in the parliamentary election for the second time. Regional parliament elections are also being held in eight Russian regions.