Vladimir Putin confirmed every prediction in Sunday's election. His United Russia party won the elections for the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, with an estimated majority of between 49% and 54% of the vote. That was what the first exit poll on state television predicted, later confirmed by the first official provisional data released by the Moscow Central Election Commission.
These are the first elections since Moscow invaded Ukraine, so they give the Kremlin an excellent gauge for understanding the pulse of the country. Although, everything was in a very controlled manner and with no chance of loss.
The result is an almost identical replica of five years ago, when, with 49.8% of the vote, United Russia won 324 of the 550 seats in the Duma. Thus, just like five years ago, Vladimir Putin secured at least a two-thirds majority in the Duma. Although, to be fair, the Russian president is not a member of the party - at least officially.
The Communist Party (KPRF) emerged as the second largest party in the country, winning between 14 and 15.2% of the vote. The LDPR (nationalists) followed, with around 9%. The New People's Party passed the electoral threshold with 6-7%.
Ukraine's only anti-war party registered in Russia, Yabloko ("Apple" in Russian), was briefly allowed to participate in the elections before being banned from federal elections by the Supreme Court last month.
Turnout is also crucial for measuring the Kremlin's support. According to initial estimates, turnout across the country was 57%. ©LAPSI.al
