Russia schedules three-day parliamentary elections for Sept. 18–20

Russia will hold three-day parliamentary elections from September 18 to 20, in a vote that the Kremlin’s ruling party aims to use to cement control of the State Duma. Observers expect United Russia to take the majority of the 450 seats, although President Vladimir Putin is not standing as a candidate.

Leading Kremlin-backed lists and voting arrangements

United Russia appears on the ballot led by several high-profile figures, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, and the party has signaled its objective to keep a two-thirds constitutional majority in the 450-seat Duma. Campaign lists also feature numerous veterans of the military campaign in Ukraine.

The main opposition formation taking part is the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, headed by long-time political veteran Valery Zyuganov; the party, while facing pressure in some regions, continues to support the country’s foreign and military policy. The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, now led by Leonid Slutsky, is positioned as a right-wing option aligned with the president. New People, a younger party led by Alexey Nechaev, has attracted business and younger voters but does not challenge Kremlin policy on core issues.

Voting will run over three days and include broad use of electronic voting. The Central Election Commission finalised the voter register as of July 1, listing more than 111 million registered voters, with over 1.8 million of them living abroad. For Russians abroad, 312 polling places will be opened in 152 countries.

President Vladimir Putin said the upcoming parliamentary elections will confirm the stability of the Russian state. He added that the vote will also be proof of the "maturity" of the Russian political system and of the country’s ability to withstand "any external threats."

Photo: press material from the event