United Russia, Putin’s party, at the head of legislative elections in Russia

The party of the Russian president obtained 43.39% of the vote according to the results announced by the Election Commission once scrutinized 21% electoral colleges. They are followed by the Communists of the KPRF (21%).

LDRP nationalists (9%) rank third, followed by the newly created formation “New People” and the Centrists of Fair Russia.

“I congratulate you on this clear and honest victory,” United Russia Secretary General Andrei Turchak told party supporters who were celebrating the results of these controversial elections.

The mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanine welcomed these elections “decisive for the future of the country”.

In the previous parliamentary elections in 2016, United Russia prevailed with 52.4% of the vote and the Communists were second with 13.3%.

In these elections, held from Friday to Sunday, the majority of the 450 seats in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, is distributed.

Some 108 million Russians could participate in these elections, to which many opposition candidates were unable to stand.

Supporters of the jailed opponent Alexei Navalni they demanded to make “an intelligent vote” and to bet on the candidates best placed to prevent the election of the representatives of the party of Putin. In most cases, they were Communists.

According to a leader close to Navalni, the best known opponent of Putin, the result of the Communists, if confirmed, is a success.

“The objective of the smart vote was to break the monopoly of United Russia and that is what happened,” Liubov Sobol told the Navalny Live YouTube channel.

The vote took place after an intense wave of repression against the opposition, including the imprisonment of Navalni, whose organization was banned as “extremist”.

Prior to the vote, Navalni’s main allies were either arrested or fled the country, and anyone associated with his group was not allowed to run in parliamentary elections.

“It’s a mock election and it’s a sad thing,” said Andrei, a 33-year-old computer scientist, a voter in Moscow.

Turnout exceeded 45% by 6:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. GMT).

In addition to eliminating opposition from the ballot, these elections were also marred by allegations of censorship and fraud.

As of Sunday, independent election observer Golos had received more than 4,600 complaints about possible election irregularities. Authorities called Golos a “foreign agent”.

On the other hand, As voting began on Friday, companies Apple and Google removed Navalni’s “smart voting” app, which informed supporters of candidates to support to defeat Kremlin-aligned hopes.

Sources close to Google and Apple’s decision told AFP they did so under pressure from Russian authorities, who threatened to arrest local staff at the tech giants.

The messaging app Telegram he also deleted the Navalni app on Friday.

Relatives of Navalni accused Google and Apple to “give in to the blackmail of the Kremlin”.

On Sunday, the jailed opponent again asked his compatriots to vote according to his slogans.

“Today, your vote really matters,” he posted on social media. “Vote and convince others to do so. Please don’t be lazy.”

Before the Duma elections, United Russia had historically weak support.

Recent polls by VTsIOM, a state body, found that less than 30% of Russians plan to vote for the party, 10% less than in the weeks leading up to the 2016 parliamentary elections.

Although the 68-year-old Putin continues to have a good level of popularity, United Russia has lost its support in the face of deteriorating living conditions after years of economic stagnation.

Thirteen other parties participate in the elections, although in general they are seen as false opposition and in the service of the Kremlin.