Russians began three days of voting on Friday in the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, a contest expected to maintain the Kremlin’s dominance amid the absence of major opposition.
Authorities extended voting through Sunday and introduced electronic balloting to encourage participation among 111 million eligible voters, reports AP.
The Kremlin is seeking to use the election, the first since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to demonstrate public support for its policies. It has also moved to suppress dissent ahead of the vote.
“Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland,” President Vladimir Putin said.
United Russia, the main Kremlin-backed party, is expected to retain its overwhelming majority in the 450-seat State Duma, while smaller pro-government parties are also expected to maintain their positions.
Some voters expressed hopes for change. Moscow resident Dmitry Kirillin said he wanted “to see some changes. To see a different party” in power.
Pensioner Galina Vavilova said ending the Ukraine war “is the main thing, of course”.
The election comes after authorities barred the liberal Yabloko party from the ballot and several anti-war politicians were jailed or forced abroad.
Ukraine has rejected voting in Russian-held Ukrainian territories as illegal.
