Putin’s United Russia party wins record 355 parliament seats - Vanguard News

Members of a local electoral commission empty a ballot box to count votes in Russia’s parliamentary election in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on September 20, 2026, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (Photo by AFP)

President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won a record 355 seats in Russia’s 450-seat Duma lower house of parliament, according to preliminary results from the three day election released by electoral chief Ella Pamfilova on Monday.

With almost all votes counted from the poll, in which no parties critical of Putin took part, results showed the presidential party will have a supermajority larger than its previous 2016 record of 343 seats.

It was Russia’s first parliamentary election since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022.

The Kremlin tightly controls elections and Moscow has banned criticism of its military campaign in Ukraine.

Pamfilova said turnout was more than 59 percent, thanking Russians for voting despite what she called “psychological pressure” on the country.

Russia’s Communist party came second, winning 40 seats.

The nationalist LDPR party took 25 seats and the New People party winning 20 seats.

United Russia has dominated politics since the early 2000s and Putin has been in power since New Year’s Eve 1999.

Pamfilova said that more than 95 percent of votes have been counted and that final results will be announced later this week.

Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.