Voting underway in Russia’s parliamentary elections

More than 113 million voters are set to choose 450 State Duma deputies, alongside regional and local representatives

Voting is underway across Russia in three-day parliamentary elections to choose a new State Duma, alongside thousands of regional and local representatives.

Polling stations opened on Friday across Russia’s 11 time zones, starting in the Far East and moving westward. Some eastern regions have already completed their first day of voting, while polls remain open elsewhere. More than 111 million people are eligible to vote in Russia, with another 1.8 million registered abroad. Voting runs through Sunday.

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.”

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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.