Russia begins three days of voting for its 450-seat parliament, with the first polling stations opening in the far eastern regions of Kamchatka and Chukotka

Russia commenced its three-day voting period for the State Duma, the country's parliamentary body, with the inaugural polling stations opening in the eastern territories of Kamchatka and Chukotka at 8:00 a.m. local time. Prior to the official start, early voting had already taken place in August, particularly in remote regions and among military personnel in active combat zones.

As of September 17, in Kamchatka, more than 11,500 voters had already submitted their ballots, with 5,097 individuals casting their votes while at sea and approximately 6,500 doing so on land. In Chukotka, a total of 4,054 people, primarily composed of geologists, meteorologists, reindeer herders, soldiers, and mining workers, had already cast their votes.

This is the seventh convocation of the State Duma, which began its operations before the onset of Russia's full-scale war in 2021. This election cycle marks a first for Ukrainian regions under Russian occupation, as residents will be granted the opportunity to vote in parliamentary elections for the very first time. This year's State Duma comprises 450 seats, with half filled through party lists and the other half through single-member districts.

The ballot this year features ten parties. It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court barred the antiwar party Yabloko from the electoral roll in early August. Meduza, in its pursuit of transparency, acknowledges the utilization of artificial intelligence in the creation of this report, stating that the article was penned by a human journalist and translated from Russian using an AI model adhering to stringent editorial guidelines.

Each draft undergoes review by a Meduza editor prior to publication. Should any discrepancies be identified, readers are encouraged to report them to reports@meduza.io. English-language subscribers can access Meduza's exclusive content by subscribing to the organization's newsletter.