United Russia party brings 86 war participants to State Duma – almost a fifth of all members

Eighty-six participants of the Russia-Ukraine war running for the ruling United Russia party in Russia entered the State Duma following the "elections" held during 18-20 September.

Source: Vladimir Yakushev, Secretary of General Council of United Russia and candidate for Duma; Russian media outlet Agentstvo. Novosti; Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti

Quote from Yakushev: "If we are talking about participants of the special military operation , we will have about 86 people. This is a serious contribution. Plus we have another two 'Young Guards' [the party's youth movement – ed.] who won in this election campaign." 

Details: Yakushev called the turnout in these elections "unprecedentedly high". He added early data shows that United Russia "is leading the federal list in all regions of Russia without exception".

However, Russian media later reported that United Russia demanded the retraction of reports regarding 86 war participants entering the State Duma. The RIA Novosti subsequently deleted the report, allegedly "to clarify the data".

According to RIA Novosti, United Russia is securing a record number of seats in the State Duma in the entire history of the party's participation in parliamentary elections. It gained 57.83% of the vote and leads in 208 [out of 225 – ed.] single-mandate constituencies. Based on the results of these "elections", the party secures 355 parliamentary seats.

Early data shows that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation gains 13.81% of the vote (40 parliamentary seats), the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia – 8.98% (25 seats), the New People party – 7.96% (20 deputy seats), A Just Russia – under 5% (4 seats) and the Rodina party receives 1 seat in the State Duma.

The final results of the "elections" to the State Duma will be summed up on 25 September.

For reference: The State Duma of Russia is the lower house of the Russian parliament (Federal Assembly) and its supreme legislative body. It consists of 450 members elected for a 5-year term.

Background:

• On 28 June, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and head of the United Russia party, stated that the party would field several hundred veterans of Russia's war against Ukraine as candidates in the upcoming autumn elections at various levels, including for the Russian State Duma.
• On 20 September, three days of voting in the elections for Russia's State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament) ended. The ruling United Russia party is set to win around half of the vote, according to pro-Kremlin exit polls and early figures from Russia's CEC.
• On 17 September, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) called on the parliaments and governments of foreign states, international organisations and parliamentary assemblies to condemn the holding of sham elections to the Russian State Duma in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and not to recognise their results.
• Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called on the international community not to recognise Russia's elections to the State Duma and regional parliaments, which the aggressor state is holding both on its own territory and in occupied Ukraine.

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