United Russia ahead as polls close in parliamentary elections

The mood in the Russian parliamentary elections is over and the National Electoral Commission says early results on Sunday show that the country’s Kremlin-loyal United Russia party was on track to win a majority despite ground against its opponents.

With 33 percent of the electorate targeting, the Central Electoral Commission said United Russia won just over 45 percent of the vote, with its closest rival, the Communist Party, at about 22 percent and the nationalist LDPR party with about 9 percent.

United Russia, which firmly supports President Vladimir Putin, won just over 54 percent of the vote in the last parliamentary elections in 2016, but it has since faced a decline in its popularity due to the falling standard of living.

Elections are widely seen as an important part of Putin’s aims to cement his grip on power ahead of the 2024 presidential election,under control of the State Duma, or parliament, will be essential.

Russians across 11 time zones voted on the third and final day Sunday with polls marked by numerous reports of violations, including ballot papers, inadequate security and pressure on election monitors.

The vote this year saw most opposition politicians and activists exposed as the Russian authorities launched a massive effort to stop protests and protests.

Tomila Lankina, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told Al Jazeera the election was marked by “a unique level of manipulation, intimidation, even physical violence against observers”.

The election lacks significant opposition presence after authorities declared the organizations, linked to the imprisoned Alexey Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent enemy, to be “extremist”.

Navalny’s allies had called on the Russians to pursue their tactical electoral strategy, which would support the candidate who could possibly defeat the United Russia in a particular constituency.