United Russia Set to Expand State Duma Majority After Three-Day Vote

Russia's ruling party is on course to widen its already dominant hold on the State Duma, with partial results showing it set to claim more than three-quarters of the lower house's 450 seats.

The tally, based on counts from 95 percent of polling stations, points to another commanding term for United Russia. The remaining seats are expected to go to smaller parties that make up what is often described as the systemic opposition — groups that align with the government on all major votes.

The election ran across three days, from Friday to Sunday, a format officials said was intended to lift participation. The Central Election Commission put turnout above 59 percent.

This was Russia's first parliamentary vote since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine more than four and a half years ago. The Kremlin had framed the contest as a measure of public backing for the military campaign, and it moved to eliminate even marginal signs of dissent.

The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered political force that openly opposed the fighting in Ukraine, was removed from the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court.

Despite economic strain and Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries and large warehouses operated by leading online retailers — attacks that have brought the war closer to many households — the combination of a vast state propaganda apparatus and strict control over the voting process allowed the Kremlin to preserve and even extend its political dominance.