United Russia Leads Early Count in Wartime Parliamentary Vote

Russia's Central Election Commission released the first preliminary results of the country's parliamentary elections on Sunday, with the ruling United Russia party holding a commanding lead in the early count.

Ella Pamfilova, who heads the commission, said United Russia had secured 3,889,584 votes, or 57.54%, based on 13.88% of ballots counted at the time of the briefing.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation stood second with 13.67%, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia at 9.27% and the New People party at 7.96%. A Just Russia rounded out the top five with 5.16%, Pamfilova said.

Preliminary turnout was reported at more than 56%, she added, noting that the figure was likely to shift as counting continued.

Polling stations closed in Moscow on Sunday evening, the final day of a vote held over three days from Friday. Authorities promoted online balloting in an effort to lift participation among the country's 111 million eligible voters.

The election was Russia's first wartime parliamentary vote, taking place with virtually no opposition to President Vladimir Putin's policies and with the Kremlin's dominance all but assured. The last day of voting coincided with what officials described as a large overnight Ukrainian drone attack, with more than 1,000 drones fired at Russia, including hundreds directed toward Moscow.

Ukrainian authorities denounced voting in Russian-held areas as illegal and called on foreign governments not to recognize the outcome. The European Union on Friday described the action as a "blatant violation of international law."

As polls closed in Russia and in Russian-held parts of Ukraine, voting continued at embassies and consulates in time zones further west, including in the United States.