Election in Russia Showcases Limited Choices Amidst Putin's Dominance
WHO:
ABC News - The list of candidates for United Russia includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, 76, and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, 68, along with war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny.
ABC News - Gennady Zyuganov, 82, has led the Communist Party for over three decades.
ABC News - Leonid Slutsky is the current leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR).
ABC News - Sergei Mironov, 73, is the leader of A Just Russia.
ABC News - President Vladimir Putin, United Russia party, Yabloko Party, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), A Just Russia, New People Party, Sergei Lavrov, Sergei Sobyanin, Gennady Zyuganov, Leonid Slutsky, Viktor Bout, Sergei Mironov, Alexei Nechayev, Alexei Zhuravlev, Yevgeny Poddubny.
WHAT:
ABC News - The election will include voting in 11 regions for governors and 39 regions for members of regional legislatures.
ABC News - The voting will take place in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
ABC News - The Kremlin has introduced material incentives for residents to vote, offering points for prizes if they vote online or at electronic voting terminals.
ABC News - A total of 186 veterans of the war in Ukraine are standing as candidates for the State Duma, with more than 1,500 former servicemen also running for regional and municipal positions.
ABC News - The Supreme Court ordered the removal of the Yabloko Party from the ballot, citing its anti-war stance as a violation of Russia’s territorial integrity.
ABC News - The election will be the first since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
ABC News - The voting will take place over a three-day period starting Friday, with 186 veterans of the war in Ukraine standing as candidates for the State Duma.
ABC News - More than 1,500 former servicemen are also running for regional and municipal positions.
CNN - Authorities in Moscow have introduced material incentives for residents to vote, offering points for prizes if they vote online or at electronic voting terminals.
The Moscow Times - The election will be held in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed, where fighting continues.
ABC News - The election will be the first since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The Moscow Times - The election will be held in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed and where fighting continues.
The Moscow Times - The number of candidates in elections at all levels has fallen by around 20% since 2022.
The Moscow Times - At least 36 opposition candidates were barred from the State Duma and regional legislative elections, with more than half of those cases involving Yabloko candidates.
The Moscow Times - Seventeen of these candidates were disqualified over online posts mentioning Navalny, who is on Russia’s federal list of “extremists and terrorists.”
The Moscow Times - Sixty-six percent of Russians do not know when the State Duma elections would be held, while 28% said they do not plan to vote.
The Moscow Times - The election will include 450 lawmakers in the State Duma and regional legislators and governors across 39 regions.
The Moscow Times - The number of legally registered political parties in Russia has dropped from 75 to 17 over the past 10 years.
The Moscow Times - At least 36 opposition candidates were barred from the State Duma and regional legislative elections, with more than half of those cases involving Yabloko candidates.
ABC News - Russians will elect members of the lower house, the State Duma, and local officials over three days.
ABC News - The election includes 450 lawmakers in the State Duma and regional legislators and governors across 11 regions.
ABC News - The Supreme Court ordered the removal of the Yabloko Party from the ballot, citing its anti-war stance as a violation of Russia’s territorial integrity.
ABC News - United Russia won more than two-thirds of the Duma’s seats in the 2021 election and is expected to dominate again.
The Moscow Times - United Russia currently holds 321 of 450 seats in the State Duma.
The Moscow Times - At least 36 opposition candidates were barred from the State Duma and regional legislative elections.
WHERE:
ABC News - The elections will take place in Russia, including areas illegally annexed in Ukraine.
The Moscow Times - Voting will occur across Russia’s 11 time zones.
WHEN:
ABC News - Voting will take place starting Friday and lasting through Sunday.
The Moscow Times - The elections are scheduled for September 18-20.
WHY:
ABC News - The Kremlin aims to maintain a constitutional majority for United Russia while ensuring other parties do not interfere with legislative processes.
ABC News - The Kremlin wants the election to underline public support for the war and give a veneer of legitimacy to its actions.
CNN - The Kremlin's decision to initially allow Yabloko to stand in the elections was described as a “low-risk experiment” that backfired when support for the party surged.
The Moscow Times - The Kremlin aims to maintain a constitutional majority for United Russia while ensuring other parties do not interfere with legislative processes.
ABC News - The Kremlin aims to underline public support for the war in Ukraine and legitimize its actions through the election.
The Moscow Times - Experts describe Russia as an electoral authoritarian system, indicating a tightly controlled political environment.
HOW:
ABC News - The election process includes electronic voting and is designed to boost turnout among 111 million eligible voters.
The Moscow Times - The independent election watchdog Golos was forced to close last year after its co-chair was jailed, which supporters claim was an attempt to silence the group.
The Moscow Times - The independent election watchdog Golos was forced to close last year after its co-chair was jailed.
The Moscow Times - The election will be held in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed, where fighting continues.
ABC News - The election process includes electronic voting and is designed to boost turnout among 111 million eligible voters.
The Moscow Times - The number of legally registered political parties in Russia has dropped from 75 to 17 over the past 10 years.
(UPDATED September 18, 2026 07:07 UTC)
Voting is set to take place in Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, including Crimea and Donetsk, for governors and members of regional legislatures, marking the first election since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. The Kremlin has introduced incentives for residents to participate, offering points for prizes when voting online or at electronic terminals, while a total of 186 veterans of the war in Ukraine are among the candidates for the State Duma. Additionally, the Supreme Court has removed the Yabloko Party from the ballot due to its anti-war stance, as the Kremlin seeks to maintain a constitutional majority for United Russia and showcase public support for its actions.
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(UPDATED September 18, 2026 04:58 UTC)
Voting will begin on Friday and continue for three days, featuring 186 veterans of the war in Ukraine as candidates for the State Duma, alongside more than 1,500 former servicemen vying for regional and municipal positions. In a bid to encourage participation, authorities in Moscow are offering material incentives, including points for prizes, for those who vote online or at electronic terminals, even as the election unfolds in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine amid ongoing conflict. The Kremlin's earlier decision to allow the Yabloko party to participate was seen as a “low-risk experiment,” but it backfired when the party gained unexpected support, while the independent election watchdog Golos was forced to shut down last year after its co-chair was jailed, raising concerns about election integrity.
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(UPDATED September 17, 2026 20:00 UTC)
The upcoming elections in Russia will be the first since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022 and will take place in four partially occupied regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, despite ongoing fighting. A significant number of opposition candidates have been barred from participating, with at least 36 disqualified, many of whom are from the Yabloko party, and 17 disqualified for mentioning Alexei Navalny in online posts. Additionally, a recent survey revealed that 66% of Russians are unaware of when the State Duma elections will occur, and 28% do not plan to vote, following the closure of the independent election watchdog Golos last year after its co-chair was jailed.
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(UPDATED September 17, 2026 19:01 UTC)
The upcoming elections in Russia will feature candidates from United Russia, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, alongside leaders from other parties like Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party and Sergei Mironov of A Just Russia. These elections will encompass 450 lawmakers in the State Duma and regional legislators across 39 regions, but at least 36 opposition candidates have been barred from participating, primarily affecting Yabloko candidates. The Kremlin's strategy appears focused on securing a constitutional majority for United Russia while limiting the influence of other parties, with elections also taking place in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed.
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(UPDATED September 17, 2026 07:10 UTC)
Russians are set to vote for members of the State Duma and local officials over three days, starting September 18 and concluding September 20. The election will feature 450 lawmakers and regional legislators across 11 regions, but the Yabloko Party has been removed from the ballot due to its anti-war stance, while at least 36 opposition candidates have been barred from participating. With United Russia currently holding 321 of the 450 seats and expected to dominate again, the Kremlin aims to showcase public support for its actions in Ukraine through this tightly controlled electoral process.