Russia will hold parliamentary elections from 18 to 20 September 2026, the country's first State Duma vote since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
All 450 seats in the lower house are at stake, with attention focused on the ruling United Russia party's performance, opposition participation and voting in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine.
Voters will elect all 450 State Duma deputies for five-year terms. Half the seats will be allocated through a nationwide party-list vote, while the other 225 will be decided in single-member constituencies.
A late-August survey by state pollster VTsIOM put United Russia well ahead of its rivals, with 37.2 per cent support among respondents. The Communist Party followed with 11.6 per cent.
United Russia currently holds 310 seats. Its final seat count will be closely watched, as it needs at least 300 seats to retain the constitutional supermajority that allows it to approve constitutional changes without support from other parties.
A woman walks past a United Russia billboard ahead of parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, 15 September 2026.
Four other parties are expected to return to the Duma, including the Communist Party and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.
The Supreme Court has barred the liberal Yabloko party from the party-list ballot, although some of its candidates remain eligible to run in single-member constituencies.
Russia has not invited the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the 2026 parliamentary election.
The OSCE has raised concerns over Russia's decision not to invite observers and has previously pointed to restrictions affecting candidates, campaign financing and scrutiny of the electoral process.
Russian authorities have rejected criticism of the electoral process, saying the election is being conducted in accordance with Russian law.
Voting is also due to take place in Crimea and Russian-controlled parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine.
Kyrgyzstan has unveiled plans to significantly expand its protected natural areas, bringing more high-altitude glaciers, mountain landscapes and st...
U.S. President Donald Trump said early Wednesday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky...
At least 35 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, in the second deadly rail disaster in less tha...
Despite losing his bloc's majority in Israel's 120-seat Knesset in a hotly contested election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to remain in the lead after 70 per cent of votes were tallied on Wednesday. Figures are subject to change as counting continues.
Russia and Ukraine have begun a regional ceasefire to allow the start of a humanitarian effort in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, both sides said on Tuesday, but they continue strikes elsewhere, including the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Russian strikes hit several parts of Ukraine overnight, injuring at least six people and targeting energy and port infrastructure, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said U.S. warnings about imminent Russian ballistic missile attacks had resumed.
Nearly two years after the 20 October 2024 parliamentary elections, Iraq’s Kurdistan Region remains without a cabinet. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 39 of 100 seats and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 23, leaving neither able to govern alone.
The Pentagon is prepared to launch potentially major military operations against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from U.S. President Donald Trump, with sufficient forces already deployed in the Middle East, according to a CNN report.
U.S. President Donald Trump said early Wednesday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be arranged soon, while leaving the door open to further U.S. strikes on Iran following next week's midterm elections.
At least 35 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, in the second deadly rail disaster in less than a year on a major route linking Madrid with the southern Andalusia region.
Azerbaijan has called for stronger international cooperation against corruption and cross-border financial crime as senior officials from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered in Baku on Wednesday, 28 October.
Qatari mediators have presented Iran with a new proposal to end the war with the U.S. and Israel, with Tehran expected to respond by the end of the week, according to an official briefed on the negotiations.
Despite losing his bloc's majority in Israel's 120-seat Knesset in a hotly contested election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to remain in the lead after 70 per cent of votes were tallied on Wednesday. Figures are subject to change as counting continues.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment