{
  "id": 8276736,
  "title": "‘There are no decent parties left’: Sham elections underscore Putin’s grip on Russia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/there-are-no-decent-parties-left-sham-elections-underscore-putins",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T16:54:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/there-are-no-decent-parties-left-sham-elections-underscore-putins-grip-on-russia/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russia is hosting parliamentary elections this weekend, taking place just months after its invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Opposition parties are struggling to provide voters with alternatives amid a heavily reduced field of candidates. The conflict's shadow looms over these elections, with the Russian Supreme Court banning Yabloko, the sole openly anti-war political party, from running in a national list of candidates throughout the State Duma, Russia's lower house. Opposition figures like Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, urge Russians to vote for seemingly neutral candidates but others argue that Navalnaya's strategy legitimizes sham elections meant only to bolster President Vladimir Putin's war effort and consolidate his power over Russian society. The Kremlin has responded to opposition by removing anti-war candidates from the ballot and promoting pro-war voices in an attempt to overstate public support for the invasion. Yabloko, previously considered \"politically dead\" by the Kremlin, has seen its electoral support rise due to its advocacy for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. However, internal government polling suggests support for the party around 5.5%. Amid the election, ten parties are running lists, including Putin's United Russia party, the Communist Party, the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party, Fair Russia and New People, all of which have supported the Kremlin's annexation of Ukraine's eastern regions. Over a thousand Russian veterans of the war in Ukraine are also running, with some allegedly involved in massacres during the conflict. The Russian opposition is seeking to make its voice heard in an increasingly repressive environment and is advocating for \"smart voting\" - endorsing candidates who oppose or are less supportive of the war.",
  "summary": "After a clampdown on anti-war candidates, the choices for Russian voters are even more limited than usual in this weekend's parliamentary elections.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}