Putin tightens grip on Russia after his party secures ‘supermajority’ in elections amid Ukraine conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has secured a dominant victory in the three-day parliamentary elections, winning 355 of the Duma’s 455 seats, electoral chief Ella Pamfilova announced on Monday. Putin’s party has now secured a supermajority in Duma, the lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly, that would allow him to even change the Constitution if needed.

This was the first parliamentary elections held in Russia since the beginning of the conflict with Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking at a press conference in capital Moscow, Pamfilova thanked the voters for their participation, highlighting the elections recorded an over 59 per cent turnout, despite the “psychological pressure” of the country. “Despite the extreme situation, we were successful in ensuring the maximum security of these elections,” she said, as cited by AFP.

Results to tighten Putin’s grip 

The victory would further tighten Putin’s grip over the country, as his party now has the majority to even change the Russian Constitution. His party secured 57.83 per cent of the total votes, with officials highlighting that it had received 49.8 per cent in 2021.

“These indicators, of course, point to the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around the head of state,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by AFP as saying.

Russia’s Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) has emerged as the second largest party, with 40 seats and a 13.8 per cent vote share. At third place, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) received 25 seats and a 8.99 per cent vote share. The New People party (NPP), on the other hand, won 20 seats with 7.96 per cent vote share.

The escalation of Ukraine war

The results came, as the Ukraine war has escalated, with Kyiv launching its ‘largest ever’ drone attack on Russia on Sunday. According to Russians, over 1,600 drones were intercepted, of which 450 were targeted towards Moscow. 

In response to Sunday’s strike, Russia targeted Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhzhia, focusing on its logistic hubs. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the Russians have shown no sign of a de-escalation, as he urged help from the West.

“Russia is not backing down from its escalation and is sending many signals that it is ready to expand the war,” Zelenskyy said, as quoted by the Associated Press (AP). “At the UN General Assembly, we will discuss how we can achieve peace through joint efforts.”

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