Is the war entering a new phase? Russia's parliamentary election: Who's on the ballot, and why it matters Share Russia's parliamentary election: Who's on the ballot, and why it matters on social media Russians head to the polls from Friday to Sunday to elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, in the first parliamentary election to be held since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The vote comes as Russians face a slowing economy as well as Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and warehouses far from the front line. United Russia, the governing party that backs President Vladimir Putin, is expected to keep its dominant position. The authorities are presenting the election as a chance for voters to have their say.

President Vladimir Putin's ruling party easily outdistanced its rivals in parliamentary elections Sunday, but it was a lackluster victory that suggested the Russian leader's brand may be growing stale. United Russia, the pro-Kremlin behemoth an opposition leader once dubbed the "party of crooks and thieves," won less than 45% of the vote for 450 seats in the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, according to preliminary results announced by the Central Election Committee on Sunday night. No other party came close. The nationalist LDPR party and the Communists competed for the second spot with 18% and 17% of the vote, respectively. Still, it was United Russia's lowest result in 15 years – and came in an election with turnout of less than 40% of eligible voters.