**Voting Underway in Russia’s Parliamentary Elections**
Voting has commenced across Russia as the nation engages in a three-day parliamentary election to elect members of the State Duma, alongside numerous regional and local representatives. Polling stations opened on Friday, with the process starting in the Far East and progressing westward across the country's 11 time zones. As some eastern regions concluded their first day of voting, polling remains active in other areas.
Over 111 million individuals are eligible to participate in these elections, with an additional 1.8 million registered to vote from abroad. The voting period extends through Sunday, allowing ample time for citizens to cast their ballots.
All 450 seats in the State Duma are up for grabs in this election cycle. The electoral system divides the seats into two categories: 225 deputies will be elected through federal party lists, while the remaining 225 will be chosen in single-member constituencies. A total of ten political parties are competing in the elections, with a minimum threshold of 5% of the vote required for parties to gain representation through the party list system.
This parliamentary election is occurring concurrently with over 2,200 regional and municipal campaigns, where approximately 20,700 mandates and elected positions are available. Of Russia's 89 regions, 11 are selecting their leaders, with eight regions conducting direct popular votes, while 39 are electing legislative bodies.
President Vladimir Putin participated in the voting process by casting his ballot online from his office in the Kremlin on Friday. In a speech delivered earlier in the week, he encouraged citizens to engage in the electoral process, emphasizing the significance of their votes in shaping the future of the country.
Remote electronic voting has been made available in 33 regions, utilizing a federal platform in 32 of those areas, while Moscow operates its own system. As of 16:31 Moscow time on Friday, over 2.5 million ballots had been cast through the federal electronic voting system, with more than four million individuals having applied to vote remotely.
For Russians living abroad, voting is accessible at 333 polling stations located in 152 countries, most of which will operate exclusively on Sunday.
Ella Pamfilova, the Chair of the Central Election Commission, reported that over four million people had already cast early ballots in 12 regions where special voting arrangements were implemented due to security concerns. These regions include the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, alongside eight Russian regions adjacent to the conflict zone in Ukraine. Additionally, approximately 260,000 individuals voted early in 37 other regions, primarily in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
Notably, residents of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Kherson, and Zaporozhye Regions are participating in the State Duma elections for the first time since these areas joined Russia following referendums held in 2022.
As the voting process unfolds, the outcome of this election will play a crucial role in determining the composition of the State Duma and the direction of Russian politics for the next five years.