What You Need To Know About The Russian State Duma Elections
5- 17.09.2026, 16:13
- 1,134
The only registered anti-war party was removed from the campaign.
Parliamentary elections are taking place in Russia from September 18 to 20. “United Russia” remains the dominant political force in the elections, while the nine other parties participating in the campaign support Putin’s policies. The only registered party that openly opposed the war in Ukraine was barred from the election, according to abcNews.
The absence of a real opposition allows the Kremlin to maintain tight control over the political system amid economic problems and Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets.
Voters are electing State Duma deputies; half of the 450 seats are allocated through party lists, while the rest are in single-member districts. Regional elections are being held simultaneously, including gubernatorial elections in 11 regions. Voting is also taking place in territories of Ukraine that Russia has illegally annexed.
“United Russia” won more than two-thirds of the seats in the State Duma in the 2021 elections and is once again vying for an overwhelming majority. The party’s candidate list includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. The third spot on the list went to war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny, who was seriously wounded by a Ukrainian drone.
The CPRF ranks second among parliamentary parties after “United Russia.” Its leader, Gennady Zyuganov, has headed the CPRF for more than 30 years. The party criticizes certain decisions by the authorities but supports Putin and the war.
“We strictly adhere to President Putin’s directives,” Zyuganov stated.
The LDPR, founded by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, also takes a hardline nationalist stance and supports the war. After Zhirinovsky’s death, Leonid Slutsky took over as party leader. Among its candidates is Viktor Bout, a former arms dealer who was released from a U.S. prison as part of a prisoner exchange for basketball player Brittney Griner.
“Fair Russia,” led by Sergei Mironov, also supports the Kremlin’s military policy. “New People,” which positioned itself in the 2021 elections as a liberal force for young voters and technocrats, has also come to support Putin’s course.
In addition to the major parties, the “Communists of Russia,” the Pensioners’ Party, the “Greens,” the Direct Democracy Party, and “Rodina” are vying for seats in the State Duma.
Meanwhile, “Yabloko” lost the opportunity to participate in the elections via party lists. In August, the Supreme Court excluded the “https://charter97.org/ru/news/2026/8/10/694334/” party from the campaign, citing, among other things, its anti-war stance. Now its candidates can only run in individual single-member districts.
Tight control over the elections and the absence of a full-fledged opposition leave virtually no room for serious political competition.
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