Russians on Friday began three days of voting in the country’s first wartime parliamentary election.
Authorities spread the election over the weekend, ending Sunday, in a bid to boost turnout among the 111 million eligible voters, and they even allowed electronic balloting.
The Kremlin wants the parliamentary election — the first since the start of the military operations in 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.
Russian state news agencies reported that Putin voted online Friday and released a video of him in front of a computer screen.
The main Kremlin party, United Russia, is all but assured to retain its overwhelming control of the lower house, the State Duma.
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.
