Polls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominate

Polls have closed in Russia's first wartime parliamentary elections, with the ruling United Russia party on course to win the tightly controlled vote.

Key points

• Initial results indicated the United Russia party comfortably ahead, and Russia's Central Election Commission stated turnout at the close of polls stood at 56.66 percent.
• The main Kremlin party, United Russia, is widely projected to retain its overwhelming control of the State Duma.
• Russia didn't invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
• Voters cast two separate ballots, filling half of the lower house's 450 seats by selecting political parties listed on the ballot.
• Authorities in Kyiv denounced the voting in the Russian-held areas as illegal and pressed foreign governments not to recognise the result.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin wants the elections, the first parliamentary vote since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to showcase popular backing for the war and legitimise its action.

Russian administration office-holders accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt voting after Kyiv introduced hundreds of drones at Moscow and other regions in what the TASS state news agency remarked was the biggest attack of its kind since the war began.

In practice, the drone strikes on Sunday killed at least three individuals in the Moscow region and two more in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Kherson region, including an election official, according to the region's governor and the election commission.

Russian authorities additionally noted attacks on the country's electronic voting systems and communication lines during the polls, but noted the electoral process was mostly smooth.

Initial results indicated the United Russia party comfortably ahead, and Russia's Central Election Commission stated turnout at the close of polls stood at 56.66 percent. The first official results and turnout are projected on Monday morning. Voting in Russian-held Ukrainian areas.

As well as those in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, the vote, which began on Friday for 111 million eligible voters, included residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began, but still doesn't fully control.

Authorities in Kyiv denounced the voting in the Russian-held areas as illegal and pressed foreign governments not to recognise the result. The European Union on Friday called the action a "blatant violation of international law".

Voters cast two separate ballots, filling half of the lower house's 450 seats by selecting political parties listed on the ballot. The rest are contested in single-seat constituencies, with voters choosing individual candidates.

Notably, the main Kremlin party, United Russia, is widely projected to retain its overwhelming control of the State Duma. A number of smaller parties of the "systemic opposition" that vote in sync with Putin's views on all key matters are additionally anticipated to maintain their presence.

Meanwhile, a massive state media campaign and tight control over the elections in the absence of genuine opposition all but assure the Kremlin will keep tight control of Russian politics against the backdrop of mounting economic costs and increasing Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside the country.

Meanwhile, the liberal Yabloko party, the only registered political entity that dared to publicly criticise the war, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia's Supreme Court. It only has a few dozen candidates in the single-constituency races.

Additionally, some anti-war politicians were imprisoned or forced to flee abroad ahead of the campaign.

Russia didn't invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the body of "double standards" for its criticism of Russia.

Taken together, the developments around polls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominate point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.