From TIME · Connor Greene · · 2m
How the Kremlin guarantees Russia's election results
Russia's parliamentary elections are designed to ensure United Russia keeps its supermajority, no matter what voters actually want.
In brief
Russia's parliamentary elections are designed to ensure United Russia keeps its supermajority, no matter what voters actually want. The Kremlin controls Russian elections through multiple methods: blocking opposition candidates, manipulating vote counts, coercing state employees, and eliminating independent oversight…
Russia's predetermined election
Three-day parliamentary elections began with the outcome already guaranteed. United Russia is expected to keep its overwhelming control of the State Duma.
The supermajority at stake
United Russia holds 310 of 450 seats in the Duma. It needs at least 300 to retain the supermajority that lets it make major decisions without other parties.
No real opposition parties
Four other parties will likely win seats, but all generally vote with United Russia and support the war in Ukraine. None offer meaningful opposition.
Most repressive environment ever
This vote is happening in the most repressive political environment in Russia's post-Soviet history, according to election fraud expert David Szakonyi.
“occurring in the most repressive political environment in Russia's post-Soviet history”
Blocking candidates from the ballot
The Kremlin's most powerful tool is limiting which candidates appear on the ballot. The one anti-war party was banned by the Supreme Court last month.
“Without a doubt, the most powerful tool”
The Yabloko party lawsuit
Russia's Supreme Court removed the Yabloko party from the ballot after a pro-Kremlin party accused it of copyright infringement, foreign funding, and extremism.
Silencing opposition leaders
The Kremlin labels anti-war figures as foreign agents, preventing them from holding office. Others like Alexei Navalny were imprisoned or fled the country.
Manipulating the vote count
Electoral officials regularly intervene to deliver votes to United Russia. What was once crude ballot stuffing is now done by altering online vote results.
“The way that the electronic votes are being counted is almost completely a black box for the rest of society”
Coercing state employees
Many Russians work for the state and fear prosecution more than they value their vote. University students, healthcare workers, and teachers form a block of captive voters.
“Many Russian voters do not have the autonomy to cast an independent vote. They work for the state”
Armed soldiers in occupied Ukraine
In Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, heavily armed soldiers travel house to house coercing people to vote, according to expert Regina Smyth.
“soldiers, heavily armed soldiers, travel from house to house coercing people to vote”
No independent oversight left
Golos, Russia's only independent election watchdog, shut down in 2025 after its chairman was imprisoned. Russia also refused to invite international monitors.
Why hold elections at all
Putin's legitimacy depends on winning elections regularly to show his policies are popular. The vote demonstrates that Russians are united behind the war in Ukraine.
“your choice and resolve will show once again that millions of people stand behind our fighters”
The headline
The Kremlin controls Russian elections through multiple methods: blocking opposition candidates, manipulating vote counts, coercing state employees, and eliminating independent oversight.
