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Russians Begin 3 Days of Voting 09/18 06:30
(AP) -- Russians on Friday began three days of voting in the country's first
wartime parliamentary election, which features virtually no opposition and is
all but certain to secure the Kremlin's political dominance.
Authorities spread the election over the weekend in a bid to boost turnout
among the 111 million eligible voters and even allowed electronic balloting.
Polls opened Friday and will close Sunday.
The Kremlin wants the parliamentary election -- the first since the start of
the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 -- to underline public support for
the war and give a veneer of legitimacy to its action. It has sought to avoid
any political risks by stamping out even the slightest sign of dissent.
"Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people
stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values,
historical memory, and love for the Motherland," President Vladimir Putin told
the nation before the vote.
The main Kremlin party, United Russia, is all but assured to retain its
overwhelming control of the lower house, the State Duma. Several smaller
parties of the "systemic opposition" that vote in sync with the government on
all key issues also are expected to retain their presence.
Voters cast two separate ballots, filling half of the Duma's 450 seats by
selecting political parties listed on the ballot. The rest are contested in
single-seat constituencies, with voters choosing individual candidates.
Some Russians hope for a different future
Russians interviewed by The Associated Press expressed different
expectations from the election.
Dmitry Kirillin in Moscow said earlier this week that he would like "to see
some changes. To see a different party" at the helm. Muscovite Alexander
Vertukhin, on the opposite, believed "what United Russia and the communists are
doing is quite sufficient; their platforms cover everything."
Speaking to AP at a Moscow polling station on Friday, pensioner Galina
Vavilova said she thought ending the war in Ukraine "is the main thing, of
course."
"That is the most important thing right now. Everyone wants peace, that's
what it comes down to. So that our guys are safe and sound," she said.
Another pensioner, Lyudmila Kalinina, wished for life "to stabilize for the
better" and for "an end to the big divide between the ultra-rich and the
extremely poor, because, after all, many people don't live a very sweet life."
Vladimir Chubarev, a 72-year-old professor, expressed hope "for all the
important initiatives our government is undertaking to succeed." "And, of
course, for victory," he added.
Russia has silenced anti-war voices
The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered political entity that dared
to criticize the war, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia's
Supreme Court, and only has a few dozen candidates in the single-constituency
races. Additionally, some anti-war politicians have been imprisoned or forced
to flee abroad ahead of the campaign.
The election follows a summer of Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on oil
refineries that triggered a widespread fuel crisis. Warehouses belonging to
online retailers Wildberries and Ozon also were attacked. The damage has
exacerbated problems for the Russian economy and brought the war home for
millions.
For the first time, the parliamentary election includes residents of four
Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began. Voting
also is taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally
annexed by Russia in 2014.
Authorities in Kyiv denounced the voting in the Russian-held areas as
illegal and urged foreign governments and international organizations not to
recognize the election, warning Ukrainians that taking part in organizing the
balloting could carry criminal liability.
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