Putin’s party set to retain majority as Russians vote

MOSCOW

Russia began three days of parliamentary voting on Sept. 18, with the ruling United Russia party expected to retain its majority and reinforce President Vladimir Putin’s dominance after 26 years in power.

More than 110 million voters are eligible to elect the State Duma’s 450 members. Half the seats in the lower house of parliament are allocated through party lists and half through single-member constituencies.

Elections for regional legislatures are also being held in 39 regions, alongside votes for governors and local councils.

The Central Election Commission put turnout at 29.61 percent by late Sept. 18.

Voting is also taking place in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Kyiv has condemned the voting on occupied Ukrainian territory as illegal.

Russian officials said Ukrainian drone attacks disrupted polling in several areas on the first day.

Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova said a polling station in the Krasnodar region had been moved to another building after drone damage shattered its windows.

She said 14 polling stations in occupied Luhansk switched to backup power after drones damaged electricity infrastructure.

In the southern Russian city of Sochi, Mayor Andrei Proshunin said election workers and voters took shelter during an air raid alert.

Polls are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. local time on Sept. 20.