Kremlin’s party takes overwhelming majority of seats in Russian parliament

MOSCOW — Russia’s ruling party will get 324 of the 450 seats in the next national parliament, election authorities announced Tuesday. The number is less than the pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, won in the previous election but still an overwhelming majority.

Retaining the party’s dominance in the State Duma was widely seen as crucial for the Kremlin ahead of Russia’s presidential election in 2024. President Vladimir Putin’s current term expires that year, and he is expected either to seek reelection or to choose another strategy to stay in power. A parliament the Kremlin can control could be key to both scenarios, analysts say.

Most opposition politicians were excluded from the parliamentary election that concluded Sunday, which was tainted by numerous reports of violations and voter fraud.

The results gave United Russia 49.8 per cent of the vote for the 225 seats apportioned by parties. Another 225 lawmakers are chosen directly by voters, and United Russia candidates won 198 of those races.

Russia’s Central Election Commission said Tuesday these wins will translate into 324 seats for the party, which is 19 seats fewer than in 2016 but still enough to make changes to the Russian Constitution.

Three other parties that usually toe the Kremlin line will take most of the remaining seats, along with the New People party, which was formed last year and is regarded by many as a Kremlin-sponsored project.

Individual candidates from three more parties each won a seat, as did five independents.

The Communist Party, the second-biggest political force in the parliament, will get 57 seats — an improvement from the 42 seats five years ago.

The government declared organizations linked to imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny as extremist, and a new law barred anyone associated with them from seeking public office. Navalny is serving 2 1⁄2 years in prison for violating parole from a previous conviction he says is politically motivated.