Putin wins record number of seats in ‘rigged’ wartime election with tyrant on course for sham landslide victory

VLADIMIR PUTIN’S party has secured a record number of seats in Russia’s “sham” elections, state media reports. United Russia is now set for a convincing win in Moscow’s first election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party has secured a record number of seats in the election Credit: EPA A woman casts her vote with an armed man in Russian-occupied Donetsk in Ukraine Credit: Reuters State agency RIA said: “United Russia has secured a record number of seats in the State Duma in the party’s entire history of participating in parliamentary elections.” According to preliminary results, the tyrant now has 57.83% of the vote. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The Communist Party of the Russian Federation has 13.81%, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia has 8.98% and the New People party – 7.96%, state media reported. The Fair Russia party was said to have a “good chance” of clearing 5% of the vote. Elections have been tightly monitored with armed guards patrolling polling stations Credit: EPA The three-day vote will determine the lower house of Russian parliament Credit: AFP Russian’s headed to the polls to cast their ballots over the weekend, with a voter turnout reported at 59.3% of 11million eligible voters. The election will determine the make-up of the 450-seat lower house of parliament, the State Duma – Russia‘s House of Commons equivalent. Fears have been rising that the results will be falsified – used by Putin as evidence of widespread public support for his war policies. Multiple incidents indicating “rigged” results have been recorded across the country. Most read in The Sun Voters were handed pre-marked ballot papers in favour of Putin while pictures emerged of the election being held at gunpoint. Reports have also surfaced of voting slips being tampered with or going missing, as well as turnout data being falsified. Kyiv branded the elections illegal while the EU blasted it as a “blatant violation of international law” and a “sham”. Most anti-war candidates were excluded from taking part in the ballot while those deemed a threat have been tightly restricted. Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as the annexed Crimean Peninsula, were also included in the election. Moscow used the election to gauge levels of public support for its warn in Ukraine, which entered its fourth year in Feburary. In a televised address to the nation ahead of polling, Putin said casting a vote would help secure Russia’s victory. The despot also said the outcome would demonstrate national resolve in the face of external pressure. The Kremlin framed national unity as vital, blaming “increasingly dangerous efforts” by Ukraine’s intelligence services and other enemies for unrest. Chair of Russia’s Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said final results will be announced on Friday. Putin’s party is expected to win 355 seats, she added. 3 comments3