Putin’s United Russia party finishes first in Riga, Baku, and seven other cities, The Insider finds in analysis of overseas State Duma vote

Russia's ruling United Russia party emerged victorious in nine out of the 27 cities where overseas State Duma vote results were posted, according to The Insider's analysis of official overseas voting data released on September 21. The party secured the top spot in Riga, Baku, Bishkek, Canberra, Marseille, Sydney, Sofia, Istanbul, and Hanoi.

In Marseille, where voter turnout was low, United Russia received 35.59% of the vote, or 42 out of 118 ballots. In comparison, during the 2024 presidential election, the city saw 506 voters, with New People placing first with 33 votes and the Communist Party in third with 18. This trend of low turnout was evident in Paris, where more than 1,300 people voted for United Russia, despite New People taking first place with 42.88%.

Sofia saw United Russia's strongest performance with 40.8% of the votes, based on 652 ballots cast. The party also led in Canberra (37.15%), Riga (36.07%), Istanbul (35.96%), Bishkek (35.59%), Marseille (35.59%), Hanoi (34.74%), and Baku (34.63%). In Sydney, the race was nearly tied, with United Russia at 31.66% and New People at 31.35%, the narrowest margin between the first- and second-place parties among the nine cities where United Russia finished first.

In the remaining 18 cities where United Russia did not finish first, New People emerged as the top contender. In Ljubljana, New People received 61.47% of the votes compared to United Russia's 8.23%; in Salzburg, New People had 60.79% to United Russia's 9.71%; in The Hague, New People received 57.93% to United Russia's 6.65%; in Barcelona, New People had 55.44% to United Russia's 5.56%; and in Prague, New People had 54.35% to United Russia's 7.72%.

Meanwhile, United Russia fell to third place in several cities, including in Da Nang where the party received only 3.94% of the votes compared to New People's 50.81%. Notably, United Russia's overseas performance contrasted sharply with its nationwide vote. As of September 21, the party garnered 39.58% of the overseas votes, New People 24.49%, and the Communist Party 16.99%.

However, in Russia, United Russia had secured 57.83% of the votes with over 95% of the ballots processed, while New People had 7.96%. New People's share was more than three times higher internationally than within Russia, and United Russia's performance abroad was about 18 percentage points lower than its domestic results. The overseas voting also differed significantly from the 2024 presidential election results.

In the Transnistria region of Moldova, United Russia received 77.76% of the vote, while the Communist Party and New People garnered 6.32% and 3.25%, respectively. The country's only anti-war party, Yabloko, secured seats in the Novgorod Regional Duma, the sole region where it was permitted to participate in the elections. At least 36 opposition candidates, predominantly from Yabloko, were barred from upcoming elections by Russian security services.