United Russia leads legislative elections and heads for new majority in the State Duma
United Russia, the governing party associated with President Vladimir Putin, is leading the elections to Russia's State Duma, according to preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission (CEC). In the first phase of the count, with 13.88% of votes tallied, the party had 57.54% of the vote. In a later update, with 95.18% of votes counted, it stood at 57.83%. The figures were still considered preliminary and subject to change until the official count is complete.
Voting took place from 18 to 20 September 2026 and was the first national parliamentary election held in Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The process took place against a backdrop of war, with security, foreign policy, the economy and the continuity of government policy among the main issues in the political climate.
The election also coincided with regional and local government elections in several parts of the country.
The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, has 450 deputies. The electoral system combines two methods: 225 seats are allocated through party lists and the other 225 are contested in single-member constituencies.
According to the preliminary data released by the CEC, United Russia also held a significant lead in the single-member constituencies, which contributed to the forecast of a large parliamentary majority for the governing party.
In the update released by the Central Election Commission with 95.18% of votes counted, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation was in second place with 13.81%, while the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) had 8.98%. The New People party had 7.96%.
These figures referred to the vote for party lists and did not yet constitute the final composition of the Duma, since the final distribution of seats also depended on the results in the single-member constituencies.
As for the preliminary distribution of the 450 seats, the CEC indicated that United Russia was set to win 355. The Communist Party would have 40, the LDPR 25 and New People 20.
A Just Russia was close to the 5% threshold required to secure representation through the federal list, while other seats would be taken by candidates from smaller parties and independents. The Election Commission itself described this distribution as preliminary.
The results represent a change from the 2021 parliamentary elections. In that vote, United Russia won 49.82% of the party-list vote and 324 of the Duma's 450 seats.
In the 2026 election, the preliminary data point to a higher percentage and to 355 seats, if the distribution announced by the CEC is confirmed.
However, the comparison should take into account the differences in the political and electoral context between the two contests.
The electoral process was accompanied by criticism from opposition groups and independent organisations. One of the main issues concerned the participation of the Yabloko party.
In August, the Russian Supreme Court annulled the registration of the party's federal list, a decision subsequently upheld on appeal. The court cited alleged violations relating to funding, campaign materials and other electoral matters.
Yabloko contested the decision and lodged further appeals, arguing that the removal of the list restricted its participation in the process.
Despite the removal of the federal list, some Yabloko-linked candidates continued to contest seats in single-member constituencies. The party itself said, before the vote, that it still had candidates in 99 constituencies.
The situation became one of the talking points about the extent of political competition during the elections, particularly because Yabloko presents itself as one of the Russian parties opposed to the war in Ukraine.
Another issue was the use of remote electronic voting. The Russian authorities said that electoral digital systems and communications networks came under attack during the voting period, but that the attempts were contained.
In Moscow, for example, election officials said they had repelled attacks on the online voting system.
The authorities did not present these incidents as grounds for halting the electoral process.
There was also criticism relating to the general conditions for political participation.
The European Union said, in a statement issued after voting closed, that the elections took place in an increasingly restrictive political environment, and highlighted the exclusion of candidates linked to Yabloko.
The European position contrasts with the assessment of the Russian authorities, who presented the electoral process as legitimate and representative of the will of the voters. Assessments of the political and electoral environment therefore remain divided between the Russian authorities and their external critics.
The absence of observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was also mentioned in connection with the elections.
The OSCE stated in advance that it would not send an observation mission to the vote because of limits imposed by the Russian authorities on the size of the mission that could be deployed.
The organisation considered that these restrictions prevented independent observation under the conditions it deemed necessary.
The military context also marked the final days of voting. On 20 September, Russian authorities reported a large wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on the Moscow region and other areas of the country.
According to the Russian authorities, more than 1,600 drones have been shot down since 19 September, including hundreds near the capital.
The incident coincided with the final day of voting and added a security dimension to the electoral process.
Foreign policy was also one of the themes associated with the vote. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said before the vote that the elections would take place in a context of war and defended the continuity of the main lines of Russian foreign policy.
According to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War, Lavrov also linked the expected results to continued political support for Vladimir Putin's foreign policy direction.
These statements represent the Russian Government's position on the political significance of the electoral process.
With the count still in its final stage, the available data indicate that United Russia is set to retain a constitutional majority in the State Duma.
The Central Election Commission announced a preliminary projection of 355 of the 450 seats for the party, but said the distribution could still change before the official process was concluded.
The CEC indicated that the final results would be released later, once the count and the electoral procedures provided for had been completed.
The result is expected to have an impact on the composition of the Russian Parliament during the next legislative term and on the relationship between the Duma, the Government and the Presidency.
For the Russian authorities, the vote represents the renewal of the parliamentary mandate and the continuity of national political direction.
For opposition parties and critical organisations, the process raised questions about electoral competition, the participation of candidates and the conditions for oversight.
The definitive analysis will need to consider both the official results and the challenges lodged during and after the vote.
For now, the Central Election Commission's figures place United Russia clearly ahead of the other parties in the Duma vote.
With more than 95% of votes counted, the party stood at 57.83%, followed by the Communist Party, the LDPR and New People.
Confirmation of the final results will establish the definitive composition of the ninth State Duma and determine how many seats go to each party and to independent candidates.