Polling stations open in Russian legislative elections
Amman2 min read
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Polling stations opened early on Friday in Russia's far east, at the start of a three-day electoral process in which victory is assured for the United Russia party led by President Vladimir Putin.
This will be the first parliamentary election in Russia since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a conflict that has since claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Registration for the election was limited to parties supporting Putin and the military campaign against Ukraine.
Voting will also take place in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Few in Russia doubt that 'United Russia' will achieve a sweeping victory in the event, which serves as an occasion for the Kremlin to gauge public support for the war in Ukraine.
The repercussions of the war this year are more impactful than ever on the country's living conditions.
The voting process for the election of the 450 members of the State Duma will continue until 18:00 GMT on Sunday.
Kamchatka and Chukotka Peninsulas, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, are the first two regions to begin the voting process among the 11 time zones in Russia.
Putin has ruled Russia since New Year's Eve 1999, while 'United Russia' has dominated Russian political life since the early 2000s.
Moscow prohibits any criticism of its campaign in Ukraine, and Russian elections are conducted under strict Kremlin oversight, making significant surprises unlikely.
Facing 'United Russia', only formations that support, to varying degrees, Putin and the war in Ukraine were allowed to participate in the elections, namely the 'Communist Party of the Russian Federation', the nationalist 'Liberal Democratic Party of Russia', the conservative 'Fair Russia', and the liberal 'New People' party.
The 'Yabloko' party, the only one openly opposing the war, was initially allowed to participate, but was disqualified by the judiciary last month amid heightened repression against all forms of opposition.
The capital is almost devoid of electoral posters, and the only indications of the organization of the elections are posters distributed by the authorities, urging citizens to go to the polls, bearing the slogan 'Your vote is the power of Russia'.