Preliminary results of the election in the Russian Duma: The United Russia Party leads sharply A new party squeezes into the Duma

Preliminary results of the election in the Russian State Duma: The United Russia Party leads sharply A new party squeezes into the Duma

Moscow, 20 Sep (China News Service) -- The Russian Central Election Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Russian Central Election Commission) announced the results of the vote count of the 8th State Duma on 20 September. After counting 99.84 percent of the votes, the ruling United Russia Party won more than 300 seats in the State Duma, retaining the "constitutional majority," the data showed. In addition, 5 political parties will enter the State Duma.

According to data from the Russian Central Election Commission, after counting 99.84% of the votes, the United Russia Party led sharply with 49.83% of the vote, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation ranked second with 18.94% of the vote, and the Russian Liberal Democratic Party received 7.51% of the vote, ranking third. Just Russia – Patriots – for the Truth and the New Party received 7.47% and 5.33% of the vote, respectively, ranking fourth and fifth.

The above five political parties have more than 5% of the vote and will enter the 8th State Duma according to Russian law. This is also the first time in nearly 18 years that five political parties have entered the State Duma in Russia. Of the remaining 10 parties, the highest percentage of the vote was given by the Party of Retirees, with a 2.46% share of the vote.

In addition, the data show that after counting 99.84% of the votes, the United Russia Party won 198 single-seat constituencies, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation won 9 single-seat constituencies, the Just Russia-Patriots-for Truth Party won 8, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia won 2.

Earlier, Pamphilova, chairman of the Russian Central Election Commission, said the United Russia Party won more than 300 seats in the State Duma, retaining its "constitutional majority." The number of seats won by the Russian Communist Party has increased significantly, and the number of seats of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party has almost halved. She stressed that the entry of 5 political parties into the State Duma shows that Russia's political pluralism is expanding.

Na Chuanlin, a visiting scholar at the Department of Political Science of Moscow University, an expert on political party issues in Russia, and a professor at Jiangsu Normal University, told the China News Agency that the entry of the New Party into the State Duma shows that a new political force has emerged in Russia that demands change, and the increase in the number of votes won by the Russian Federal Communist Party can also reflect the re-strengthening of the left wing of Russian society. In addition, the russian Liberal Democratic Party led by Zhirinovsky has dropped significantly from the previous term, indicating that the influence of Russian nationalist ideology has decreased.

According to data from the Russian-Chinese Election Commission, the turnout rate of the State Duma election was 51.68%, up from 47.88% in 2016. Russian President Putin said on the same day that the high voter turnout shows that people treat the State Duma election with a responsible attitude, and Russia's stability, prosperity and progress depend on the work of the State Duma, and hopes that the new State Duma representatives will not betray the trust of the people.

The State Duma is a permanent legislature of Russia, composed of 450 representatives, who is mainly responsible for drafting and formulating state laws, deliberating on the appointment of the prime minister of the government and deciding on the issue of confidence in the president. The election was conducted on a mixed electoral system, in which half of the total 450 seats were elected on the basis of proportional representation by political parties, while the other half were elected in single-seat constituencies, i.e. 225 constituencies were established throughout the country, with one representative elected by each constituency. The threshold for political parties to enter the State Duma is 5 per cent. (End)

Source: China News Network