Russians are heading to the polls on Friday to elect members of the State Duma, marking the country’s first nationwide parliamentary race since President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The election is expected to reinforce the dominance of Putin’s United Russia party, which has controlled the legislature since 2003. While opposition parties exist within the Duma, they operate under strict government oversight, with independent voices largely barred from running or facing legal repercussions.
International observers and Western governments have long criticized the electoral process as lacking genuine competition. However, Kremlin officials maintain that the vote reflects the will of the Russian people and serves as a reaffirmation of national unity during what they describe as a special military operation against NATO expansion.
Voting booths opened across Russia’s vast time zones, with citizens urged to support candidates who back the government’s policies regarding the war in Ukraine and domestic economic stability.
Watching from Berlin, it feels surreal. How can any election be called free when opposition voices are silenced or jailed before the campaign even starts?
It’s hardly a secret that United Russia will win again. The real question is how much of the population even bothers to show up.