MOSCOW: Russia's ruling United Russia party has secured a dominant position, claiming a record 355 seats in the 450-seat State Duma following a three-day national election, according to preliminary results reported by Euronews.
The electoral contest marks the first parliamentary vote conducted since Moscow launched its full-scale military campaign in Ukraine in 2022. With nearly all ballots processed and an absence of opposition parties critical of President Vladimir Putin on the ballot, the ruling formation has achieved a supermajority that surpasses its previous 2016 milestone of 343 seats.
Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova announced that voter turnout exceeded 59 per cent, expressing gratitude to citizens for participating despite facing what she termed "psychological pressure" directed at the nation, as reported by Euronews. In the distribution of other parliamentary positions, the Communist Party secured second place with 40 seats, while the nationalist LDPR claimed 25 seats and the New People party secured 20 seats.
United Russia has maintained political dominance since the early 2000s under President Putin, who has held power since New Year's Eve in 1999. Pamfilova confirmed that over 95 per cent of votes have been tallied, with official final results anticipated later in the week, as detailed by Euronews. (ANI)
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