Russia prepares for State Duma elections

Russia is preparing for the election of 450 deputies to the State Duma (lower house) on September 18 in the context of the country facing many difficulties.

Taking place in the context of Russia facing many difficulties due to international economic sanctions and low oil prices, this election is considered a test of public support for the ruling United Russia (UR) party chaired by Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, as well as President Vladimir Putin personally.

More than 103,000 candidates are registered to run in tomorrow's elections at all levels. About 95,800 polling stations will be set up across Russia on election day. A third of the polling stations will be equipped with surveillance cameras.

Panorama of a Duma session in Moscow. (Photo: AFP/ VNA).

The head of the Russian Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, pledged to hold a transparent election. A political analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center, Alexander Baunov, said that the recent election campaign in Russia was quite peaceful: "Although we have more candidates officially registered for the election. There are also more opposition candidates, more debates on television, but in general the campaigns are quite peaceful compared to the 2011 election."

This year's Russian State Duma elections will be held under the mixed system, which was applied in the 2003 elections, meaning 225 deputies will be elected by party lists, 225 deputies will be elected by constituency. There are about 691 international observers participating in monitoring the elections.

Taking place in the context of Russia facing economic difficulties due to sanctions and low oil prices, this election is also a measure of voter support for the ruling United Russia (UR) party as well as President Vladimir Putin personally.

Despite the sharp increase in the number of political parties, traditional parties such as United Russia (UR), Communists of the Russian Federation (KPRF), Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and Just Russia (SR) are expected to continue to "dominate" in the new State Duma.

Many Russian voters still expressed support for the ruling United Russia party. One voter said: “I will go to vote. I think the election should be fair and objective. Not only me but my whole family will go to vote.”

Another voter said: “Overall I feel like things are good right now. I think it would be good if there weren't too many changes after the election.”

Ahead of the vote, Russian President Putin called on people to express their views by voting in the election. Mr. Putin emphasized that regardless of political views, voting is a duty of the people as well as a way to show concern for the country.

Mr. Putin also affirmed that all political groups participating in the election campaign received fair conditions for a fair and open competition.

Taking place in the context of Russia facing many difficulties, observers believe that the ruling United Russia Party will continue to win and occupy many seats in the new State Duma. However, the percentage of votes in favor will not be as high as the previous term.

The results of the public opinion poll published by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Research (VTsIOM) on September 12, the end of the election campaign, showed that the United Russia Party (UR) was leading but was likely to win only 41.1% of the votes. The next positions belonged to the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (12.6%), and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (7.4%).

In a tactic to boost the United Russia Party's support rate ahead of the election, Russian Prime Minister Medvedev called on voters to vote for the party, with a "promise" to adhere to the country's development path set by President Putin. With Mr. Putin's support rate being very high in the country, it could help the party gain an advantage in tomorrow's election.

According to VOV