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Kremlin hails 'open, honest' vote as United Russia wins majority in parliamentary polls

Monday, 20 September 2021 10:06 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 20 September 2021 10:06 AM ]

A man casts his ballot at a polling station at the Kazansky railway station during the parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia on September 18, 2021. (Photo by AP)

Russia's ruling United Russia party has won about 50 percent of the ballots in the State Duma elections, retaining its parliamentary majority, after more than 80 percent of the results were processed, the Central Election Commission (CEC) data shows.

The Kremlin on Monday hailed weekend parliamentary elections as open, competitive and honest, in response to vote rigging allegations by the opposition.

"The competitiveness, openness and honesty of the elections were and are the most important thing for the president," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

United Russia's general council secretary Andrei Turchak told reporters on Monday that after the three-day election that ran from September 17 to 19, the party would win 120 seats from the party roster and 195 single-mandate seats, which means a total of 315 in the 450-member chamber.

Turchak said the party had won a “convincing and clean victory” without any violations during the polls.

He also added that United Russia had won in local legislative polls in 39 regions.

Russia detects ‘cyberattacks’ from abroad targeting parliamentary elections

The elections commission said it had recorded “three cyberattacks” on its resources for remote online voting “from foreign countries.”

According to the voting results, the Communist Party (KPRF) stands second, after United Russia party, with about 19 percent followed by the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (7.55%), A Just Russia (7.37%) and New People (5.37%), respectively on the third to fifth rankings. Accordingly, these five parties are believed to pass the 5-percent threshold to make it to the new parliament.

Kremlin-loyal United Russia party supports President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 1999, still dominating ahead of the next presidential election in 2024. The 68-year-old leader remains a popular figure, with many Russians crediting him with standing up to the West and restoring national pride.

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Russia Vladimir Putin United Russia State Duma elections Central Election Commission Andrei Turchak KPRF Russian Communist Party Liberal Democratic Party of Russia A Just Russia New People