Russians are casting their votes on Sunday in the final phase of a three-day parliamentary election, an event that is anticipated to solidify President Vladimir Putin’s control over the legislature. The three-day voting period concluded in most regions, while specific areas including Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as several southern federal districts, continued to allow citizens to participate until Sunday evening.
The outcome is expected to maintain the dominant position of the Kremlin-aligned United Russia party, which currently holds a constitutional majority in the Duma. This stronghold enables the ruling party to amend the country’s fundamental law without opposition, a power it utilized last year to pave the way for Putin’s potential rule until 2036.
Election commissions report that the overall level of turnout matches the pace recorded during the previous two days. Voting officially concludes at 10:00 PM local time across all participating regions.
Three days of voting just to confirm what we already knew? Seems like a lot of effort for a foregone conclusion.
Expected result, but still concerning that constitutional changes were pushed through with zero opposition.