Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun described the results of the parliamentary elections held in Russia amid the war in Ukraine as a reflection of the will of the Russian people. Speaking in Beijing, Guo congratulated Russia on the smooth completion of the elections.
Guo Jiakun said the elections were one of the major events on Russia’s political calendar and that China firmly supported the Russian people’s independent choice. The spokesperson also said Beijing was ready to work with Moscow to advance bilateral relations.
United Russia leads
According to preliminary results released by Russia’s Central Election Commission on Monday morning, 93 percent of the votes had been counted. United Russia had received 57.83 percent of the vote at that stage.
The party received 49.82 percent of the vote in the 2021 parliamentary elections. United Russia candidates are leading in 208 of the 225 single-member constituencies in this election.
Turnout approaches 57 percent
The elections for the 450-seat State Duma, held over three days from September 18 to 20, concluded on Sunday. The Central Election Commission said turnout was close to 57 percent, compared with 51.72 percent in the 2021 elections.
In addition to voting at polling stations, voters also used remote electronic voting. The number of eligible voters exceeded 111 million.
Voting in areas controlled by Ukraine was disputed
These were the first parliamentary elections held by Russia since 2022. Voting also took place in Ukrainian regions under Russian control.
Kyiv rejected the practice. Some Western governments also condemned the voting.