Polls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominate

Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-left caret-rightNews|Russia-Ukraine warPolls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominateRussian President Vladimir Putin has cast the vote as a test of support for his ongoing war in Ukraine.

1. list 1 of 3The view from Russia: ‘No party can be antiwar’ in parliamentary election.
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Liste 2 de 3: As eleições na Rússia fazem diferença.

The Kremlin wants the elections, the first parliamentary vote since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to showcase popular support for the war and legitimise its action.

Funcionários do governo russo acusaram a Ucrânia de tentar interromper as eleições depois que Kiev lançou centenas de drones em Moscou e outras regiões, em o que a agência de notícias estatal TASS descreveu como o maior ataque desse tipo desde o início da guerra.

The drone strikes on Sunday killed at least three people in the Moscow region and two more in the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, including an election official, according to the region’s governor and the election commission.

Autoridades russas também relataram ataques aos sistemas eletrônicos de votação e às linhas de comunicação do país durante as eleições, mas afirmaram que o processo eleitoral foi em sua maioria tranquilo.

Initial results showed the United Russia party comfortably ahead, and Russia’s Central Election Commission said turnout at the close of polls stood at 56. 66 percent.

Os primeiros resultados oficiais e a participação são esperados na manhã de segunda-feira.

Voting in Russian-held Ukrainian areas.

The vote, which began on Friday for 111 million eligible voters, included residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began, but still doesn’t fully control, as well as those in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Autoridades em Kyiv denunciaram a votação nas áreas ocupadas pela Rússia como ilegal e instaram governos estrangeiros a não reconhecerem o resultado. A União Europeia, na sexta‑feira, chamou a ação de “violação flagrante do direito internacional”.

Voters cast two separate ballots, filling half of the lower house’s 450 seats by selecting political parties listed on the ballot. The rest are contested in single-seat constituencies, with voters choosing individual candidates.

The main Kremlin party, United Russia, is widely expected to retain its overwhelming control of the State Duma. Several smaller parties of the “systemic opposition” that vote in sync with Putin’s views on all key issues are also expected to maintain their presence.

A massive state media campaign and tight control over the elections in the absence of genuine opposition all but assure the Kremlin will keep tight control of Russian politics amid mounting economic costs and increasing Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside the country.

The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered political entity that dared to publicly criticise the war, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia’s Supreme Court.

It only has a few dozen candidates in the single-constituency races.

Além disso, alguns políticos anti‑guerra foram presos ou forçados a fugir para o exterior antes da campanha.

Russia didn’t invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the body of “double standards” for its criticism of Russia.

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