Russia’s parliamentary election: Who’s on the ballot, and why it matters

United Russia won more than two-thirds of the Duma’s seats in the 2021 election and is poised to dominate the body once more.

A worker steams a curtain in a voting booth at a polling station before the parliamentary elections in Podolsk, Moscow region [Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters]

Russians head to the polls from Friday to Sunday to elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, in the first parliamentary election to be held since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The vote comes as Russians face a slowing economy as well as Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and warehouses far from the front line.

United Russia, the governing party that backs President Vladimir Putin, is expected to keep its dominant position.

The authorities are presenting the election as a chance for voters to have their say. Critics argue that with no genuine opposition on the ballot, the result is largely settled in advance.

So why are the elections worth watching? Here is what you need to know:

How do Russia’s elections work?

Starting Friday and lasting through Sunday, Russians will elect members of the lower house, the State Duma.

They will also cast ballots in local elections.

Voters in 11 regions will elect their governors, and 39 regions will elect members of regional legislatures.

Voting is spread over three days to boost turnout among the 111 million eligible voters and includes areas Russia occupies in Ukraine. Electronic voting is allowed.

Half of the Duma’s 450 seats are filled by party lists and the other half are contested in single-ballot races.

Election officials hang a list of political parties at a polling station before the parliamentary elections in Podolsk, Moscow region [Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters]

What is United Russia?

Russia’s governing party, formed in 2001 from a merger of pro-Kremlin parties, has backed Putin and dominated the parliament ever since.

United Russia won more than two-thirds of the Duma’s seats in the 2021 election. It is again poised to dominate the body.

The party’s list is led by political heavyweights: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s top diplomat for 22 years, and Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow’s powerful mayor.

In an apparent bid to add fresh faces to what is widely seen as a party of bureaucrats, its third-highest-ranking official is war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny, who was badly wounded by a Ukrainian drone.

Members of United Russia have pledged to back the war effort and Putin’s maximalist goals in what the Kremlin calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and leader of the United Russia political party Dmitry Medvedev [Ekaterina Shtukina/Sputnik/Government press office/EPA]

Who else is running in Russia’s elections?

Alongside United Russia, other “systemic opposition” parties that vote in sync with the government on key issues are also expected to remain.

The liberal Yabloko Party, the only registered political party that opposes the war, was initially on the ballot, but the Supreme Court ordered it removed in August.

It cited, among other reasons, that the antiwar stance was akin to seeking the violation of Russia’s territorial integrity. Yabloko now runs only single-ballot races.

The Communist Party has been a leading force in the Federal Assembly since the 1990s, led for more than three decades by 82-year-old Gennady Zyuganov, a former Soviet official.

Throughout Putin’s rule of more than a quarter-century, the Communists have criticised some aspects of government policy but carefully avoided any criticism of him. They steadfastly support the war in Ukraine.

Alexander Bratersky, a political analyst and independent journalist, told Al Jazeera that the race for second place is worth watching.

If the Communist Party nab second, it would “suggest voters are angry about economic hardship and falling living standards”.

Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, centre, and Deputy Chairman Dmitry Novikov, second right, take part at the ‘Reds in the City’ all-Russian patriotic rally [Maxim Shipenkov/EPA]

The Liberal Democratic Party, an ultranationalist force that has been a significant presence in the legislature since the early 1990s, will also likely retain some influence in the Duma.

Like the Communists, it staunchly supports the war and boasts of having multiple veterans as members.

Other smaller parties round out the ballot.

The party known as A Just Russia has been on Russia’s political scene for 20 years. A social-democratic party, it competes with the Communists for older and middle-aged voters nostalgic for the Soviet past, and it supports the war in Ukraine.

The New People Party was founded shortly before the last parliamentary election in 2021, seeking to position itself as a liberal voice representing younger voters and technocrats. It won just more than 5 percent of the vote, allowing it to form a small faction.

Bratersky described the party as “a liberal-leaning party backed by some Kremlin people who are more technocratic and more pro-peace”.

He said it appeals to the “middle-class audience”, and after the Kremlin banned Yabloko, it has been viewed as its substitute.

“So, if they come third with a good number of votes, this is a sign that those who are antiwar used them as their legal avatar,” he said.

Other parties seeking seats include Communists of Russia, a small rival of the main Communist Party; the Party of Pensioners; the Green Party; the Party of Direct Democracy; and the Motherland Party.

A candidate for Russia’s liberal Yabloko party running in a single-mandate constituency in the upcoming parliamentary election, hands out flyers to passers-by on a street in Moscow, Russia [File: Yulia Morozova/Reuters]

Why do the elections matter to the Kremlin?

While these elections may seem routine, the fact that they are the first since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is what makes them important, Bratersky told Al Jazeera.

He said that Putin has linked the elections to support for the war: Endorsing United Russia at its party congress in August, Putin said the party’s duty was “to do everything for victory” in the war in Ukraine.

“This shows that the Kremlin is a bit worried since the elections are the only legal way to show disrespect for the Kremlin,” Bratersky said. “Even Putin’s core fans hate United Russia as a corrupt force.”

How have past elections gone?

Since Putin first came to power in 2000, United Russia has won every Duma election, usually by a wide margin.

The results have repeatedly been disputed.

In 2011, allegations of vote-rigging set off the largest street protests of Putin’s rule.

After the 2021 vote, independent monitors and statisticians said the party’s real support was far lower than the official count.

The authorities have rejected claims of widespread fraud. Opposition parties and critics of the war have increasingly been kept off the ballot.

统一俄罗斯党在 2021 年的选举中赢得了国家杜马三分之二以上的席位，并有望再次主导该机构。

在莫斯科州波多利斯克市的一个投票站，一名工作人员在议会选举前用蒸汽熨烫投票亭内的窗帘。[拉米尔·西迪科夫/路透社]

从周五到周日，俄罗斯民众将前往投票站，选举俄罗斯议会下院——国家杜马的成员。这是自2022年俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰以来举行的首次议会选举。

此次投票之际，俄罗斯正面临经济放缓以及乌克兰无人机袭击远离前线的炼油厂和仓库的双重困境。

支持总统弗拉基米尔·普京的执政党统一俄罗斯党预计将继续保持其主导地位。

当局将此次选举宣传为选民表达意见的机会。批评人士则认为，由于没有真正的反对派候选人，选举结果实际上早已内定。

那么，为什么选举值得关注呢？以下是您需要了解的内容：

俄罗斯的选举是如何进行的？

从周五开始一直持续到周日，俄罗斯将选举下议院——国家杜马的成员。

他们还将参加地方选举投票。

11 个地区的选民将选举州长，39 个地区的选民将选举地区立法机构成员。

为提高1.11亿合格选民的投票率，投票将持续三天，投票范围包括俄罗斯占领的乌克兰地区。允许电子投票。

国家杜马 450 个席位中，一半由政党名单产生，另一半由单独投票选举产生。

在莫斯科州波多利斯克市议会选举前，选举官员在投票站张贴政党名单。[拉米尔·西迪科夫/路透社]

什么是统一俄罗斯？

俄罗斯执政党于 2001 年由亲克里姆林宫的政党合并而成，自成立以来一直支持普京并主导议会。

统一俄罗斯党在2021年大选中赢得了国家杜马三分之二以上的席位，有望再次主导该机构。

该党的候选人名单由政坛重量级人物领衔：俄罗斯外交部长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫，他担任俄罗斯最高外交官已有 22 年；以及莫斯科权势滔天的市长谢尔盖·索比亚宁。

为了给这个被广泛认为是官僚主义政党注入新鲜血液，该党第三高的官员是战地记者叶夫根尼·波杜布尼，他曾被乌克兰无人机严重击伤。

统一俄罗斯党的成员承诺支持战争努力和普京在克里姆林宫所谓的乌克兰“特殊军事行动”中的最大主义目标。

俄罗斯联邦安全会议副主席、统一俄罗斯党领导人德米特里·梅德韦杰夫 [Ekaterina Shtukina/Sputnik/政府新闻办公室/EPA]

俄罗斯总统选举还有哪些候选人？

除了统一俄罗斯党之外，其他在关键问题上与政府投票立场一致的“体制内反对派”政党预计也将继续留任。

反对战争的唯一注册政党——自由派的亚布洛科党最初出现在选票上，但最高法院在 8 月份下令将其除名。

报告指出，反战立场等同于寻求侵犯俄罗斯领土完整，这是原因之一。“亚博卢”党现在只参加单轮投票的选举。

自 20 世纪 90 年代以来，共产党一直是联邦议会的领导力量，由 82 岁高龄的前苏联官员根纳季·久加诺夫领导了三十多年。

在普京执政的二十五年多时间里，共产党人虽然批评过政府政策的某些方面，但却小心翼翼地避免批评普京本人。他们坚定地支持乌克兰战争。

政治分析家兼独立记者亚历山大·布拉特斯基告诉半岛电视台，第二名的争夺战值得关注。

如果共产党获得第二名，那就“表明选民对经济困难和生活水平下降感到愤怒”。

俄罗斯共产党领导人根纳季·久加诺夫（中）和副主席德米特里·诺维科夫（右二）参加了“红色进城”全俄爱国集会。[马克西姆·希彭科夫/EPA]

自 20 世纪 90 年代初以来，自由民主党一直是立法机构中的重要力量，这个极端民族主义政党也可能在国家杜马中保留一定的影响力。

与共产党一样，它坚定支持战争，并吹嘘其成员中有多名退伍军人。

其他一些小党派也加入了选票。

“公正俄罗斯党”已在俄罗斯政坛活跃了20年。作为一个社会民主党，它与共产党争夺那些怀念苏联时代的中老年选民，并且支持乌克兰战争。

新人民党成立于2021年上次议会选举前不久，旨在将自己定位为代表年轻选民和技术官僚的自由主义声音。该党赢得了略高于5%的选票，使其得以组成一个小派系。

布拉特斯基将该党描述为“一个倾向自由主义的政党，得到了克里姆林宫一些更技术官僚、更亲和平的人士的支持”。

他说，该乐队迎合了“中产阶级观众”，在克里姆林宫禁播了 Yabloko 之后，它被视为 Yabloko 的替代品。

“所以，如果他们获得第三名并取得相当多的选票，这表明反战人士利用他们作为其法律上的化身，”他说。

其他寻求席位的政党包括：俄罗斯共产党（主要共产党的竞争对手）、退休人员党、绿党、直接民主党和祖国党。

在即将举行的议会选举中，俄罗斯自由派政党“亚博卢”的一名候选人在莫斯科街头向路人分发传单。该候选人正在竞选单一选区席位。[图片：Yulia Morozova/路透社]

为什么选举对克里姆林宫如此重要？

布拉特斯基告诉半岛电视台，虽然这些选举看似例行公事，但它们是自俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰以来的首次选举，这一点使其意义重大。

他说，普京将选举与支持战争联系起来：在8月份的统一俄罗斯党代表大会上，普京支持该党，并表示该党的职责是“为乌克兰战争的胜利竭尽全力”。

布拉特斯基说：“这表明克里姆林宫有些担忧，因为选举是唯一合法表达对克里姆林宫不敬的方式。就连普京的核心支持者也憎恨统一俄罗斯党，认为它是一股腐败势力。”

以往的选举情况如何？

自普京2000年首次上台以来，统一俄罗斯党赢得了每一次国家杜马选举，而且通常以较大优势获胜。

这些结果一直备受争议。

2011年，有关选举舞弊的指控引发了普京统治时期规模最大的街头抗议活动。

2021 年投票结束后，独立观察员和统计学家表示，该党的实际支持率远低于官方统计结果。

当局否认存在大规模舞弊的说法。反对党和战争批评者越来越多地被排除在选票之外。