Russia's rigged election gives Putin a mandate for all-out war
Observers described the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary election as the "dirtiest" vote in Russia's modern history. In a country that has not held free and fair elections for nearly three decades, that might seem like a difficult result to achieve. All independent media were banned soon after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, ensuring a media landscape where no criticism of the authorities was…
The recent Russian parliamentary election, held from September 18 to 20, 2026, has been described as one of the most rigged and unfair elections in the country's modern history. Observers noted that this was not an easy task to accomplish, given the absence of free and fair elections for nearly three decades. The Kremlin employed numerous techniques to manipulate the vote, including forcing state-employed employees to vote, banning independent observers, ballot stuffing, manipulating electronic voting systems, and even using physical force in the occupied territories.
During the election, the ruling United Russia party secured a constitutional majority with 355 out of 450 seats, while other parties received far fewer votes. Russian exiled politician Dmitry Gudkov estimated that only 20-25% of United Russia's official 58% support was genuine, with the rest being a result of state resources and outright fabrication.
Despite the rigging, some evidence indicated that anti-war protest voting was strong in major cities. However, the Kremlin's intention was to ensure that no opposition candidate would have a chance in the State Duma, effectively preventing any genuine competition.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
