2026 Russian legislative election

Preparation for the election

According to Interfax, the Russian CEC will receive about 27.4 billion rubles to carry out its activities, of which over 23.3 billion rubles will be directed towards organizing the parliamentary elections^[8]

On June 16, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree scheduling the elections for September 20, 2026^[9].

On June 17, 2026, the Russian CEC published a calendar of events for the preparation and conduct of the elections to the State Duma of Russia^[10]. It was announced that the elections to the State Duma and other combined elections and referendums will take place over several consecutive days. The election slogan was introduced: "Your vote is the strength of Russia"^[11].

Foreign intervention

The State Duma Commission for the Investigation of Foreign Interference has identified a number of instances of Western states interfering in the election. According to the commission's chairman, Vasily Piskarev, the activities of Western embassies, particularly those of the United Kingdom and Germany, have significantly intensified ahead of the vote. In order to discredit the electoral system, they are using official Russian-language internet resources to publish materials from organizations that have been designated as banned in Russia. In addition, foreign diplomats have been observed participating in events organized by several political parties. Piskarev also reported that Western governments have stepped up their work with former Russian municipal deputies living in exile who have been recognized as foreign agents. Their contacts with the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence and the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats have been recorded. Piskarev noted that the European Union has announced grants of up to 35,000 euros for "Russian media in exile" for promoting anti-government information. Furthermore, according to Piskarev, a campaign is being conducted against foreign observers planning to take part in election monitoring.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

Automatically on ballot

This section contains a list of political parties that have already held conventions and nominated candidates. As of 5 July 2026, all parties eligible for automatic inclusion on the ballot have held conventions.

Access to ballot by collecting signatures

Other registered political parties that can participate in the elections, but which need to collect signatures to be included in the ballots.^[41]

United Russia

On 21 April 2025, the Presidential Administration of Russia and United Russia began preparations for the election. Incumbent deputies are evaluated using a "traffic light" system based on data from the regions. Those who are not supported by the local population are asked to find a replacement. During the evaluation, the Presidential Administration considers the presence of a permanent group of supporters, while the party evaluates legislative activity, initiatives, and the authority of the deputies^[42].

In January 2026, it was announced that Vladimir Yakushev, secretary of the party’s general council, had been appointed head of the party’s election campaign headquarters. According to Yakushev, the party plans to renew its parliamentary corps, with a significant rotation expected within the faction.^[43]

The primary mechanism for candidate selection will remain the primaries, which for the first time will be conducted entirely in an electronic format. When forming candidate lists, the party will evaluate the activity of current deputies, their work with constituents, and their adherence to the party line. Yakushev emphasized that the key criterion for nomination is having genuine support from citizens.^[44]

At the end of May 2026, the primaries concluded, and as a result, at least 37 incumbent State Duma deputies found themselves in non-viable positions. In a number of large regions, including Krasnodar Krai, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, nearly half of the single-mandate deputies may be replaced, which would significantly renew the composition of the faction.^[45][46]

On 28 June 2026, the first part of the party convention was held in Moscow. President Vladimir Putin speaks at convention and wished the party good luck in the election, calling the electoral process a test of strength for the political system.^[47] During the event, the federal top five of the party list was approved, which included Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny, Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, and the head of the Yunarmiya movement Vladislav Golovin. Party leader Dmitry Medvedev, as in the previous election, was not included in the party list.

In total, 400 people were included in the party list. As in previous elections, when drawing up the party list, United Russia uses the political technology known as the "locomotive"^[a]. In most regional groups, the current governors (55 governors in total) or well‑known federal politicians (such as Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev and United Russia Secretary General, Senator Vladimir Yakushev) are listed in first places. It is expected that immediately after the election, most of them will decline their mandates and hand them over to other, lesser‑known candidates.^[48][49]

Also 225 candidates were nominated in single-member constituencies. For the first time since the return of elections under the mixed electoral system, United Russia has nominated candidates in all 225 single-member constituencies. The media also drew attention to a notable renewal of the candidate list in the single‑member constituencies. Of the 198 constituencies where United Russia candidates won in the 2021 election, in 110 the party has nominated new candidates rather than re‑running the previous incumbents.^[50]

The second stage of the congress is scheduled for August 22, where delegates will discuss the People's Program with which the party will go into the elections.^[51][52]

Communist Party

According to Yury Afonin, the party's first deputy leader, minimum task for the party is to preserve the result of the 2021 election.

Members of the Communist Party reported facing increased interference from state authorities ahead of the election. In Altai Krai, a region where the Communist Party has traditionally been strongest, at least eleven prominent members of the regional party were arrested in between November 2025 and February 2026.^[53]

The party's convention was held on 20 June 2026, where candidates were nominated and the party's electoral program was approved. Party leader Gennady Zyuganov's statement during his speech at the convention about the need to withdraw 30 trillion rubles from bank deposits and direct them to the development of the economy caused a wide resonance in the media.^[54] Later, Zyuganov denied that he had offered to withdraw citizens' bank deposits to replenish the budget, saying that his words had been taken out of context and misinterpreted. According to him, he was talking about the "wrong" economic model and the high key rate of the Central Bank, in which it is more profitable for citizens and businesses to keep savings on investments than to invest in economic development.^[55]

Liberal Democratic Party

The Liberal Democratic Party was the first party to launch its election campaign in April 2025, on the 79th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the party's founder and first leader. The party plans to build its election platform on a national patriotic ideology, focusing on anti-migrant and demographic themes, as well as support for the regions.^[56]

In October 2025, the Liberal Democratic Party convention was held, at which Leonid Slutsky was prematurely re-elected party leader (initially his term ended in May 2026). In addition, at the convention, Slutsky announced one of the party's goals to at least double the number of deputies in the State Duma following the election results.^[57]

On June 23, 2026, party convention took place in Ruza, Moscow Oblast.^[58] At the convention, the party approved its candidates list for the election. The party also adopted its election program titled "100 Days of Transformation of Russia," aimed at addressing social issues. Key proposals include a "people's mortgage" at 3%, abolition of personal income tax on earnings up to 50,000 rubles, and pension indexation of at least 20%. Party leader Leonid Slutsky emphasized continuity with the ideas of the LDPR's founder, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. In total, the party's electoral list includes 435 candidates.^[59][60]

A Just Russia

At party's annual congress on 25 October 2025, A Just Russia – For Truth reverted to its pre-2021 name, A Just Russia. One of the reasons for the return was the de facto retreat of the former leaders of Patriots of Russia and For Truth from the party's leadership in recent years: Gennady Semigin resigned in 2024, and Zakhar Prilepin barely participated in the party leadership. Furthermore, Mironov stated that the acronym SRPZP offended him, "while everyone knows A Just Russia." The position of co-chairs, created in 2021 for Semigin and Prilepin, was abolished, as well as Semigin's and Prilepin's positions of Chairman of the Central Council and Secretary of the Chamber of Deputies. In their place, the positions of first deputy chairman of the party were created, with Alexander Babakov appointed, and two ordinary deputy chairmen, with Ruslan Tatarinov and Zakhar Prilepin appointed. Sergei Mironov was unanimously re-elected chairman.^[61][62]

On 4 July 2026, the convention of the party was held in Moscow. The convention approved the party list of candidates for the election, which was headed by the party leader Sergey Mironov. In total, the party nominated 263 candidates on the party list and 224 candidates in single-member constituencies.^[63] The media drew attention to the nomination of former Ukrainian Acting Prime Minister and National Bank Governor Serhiy Arbuzov on the party's list.^[64] In addition, the congress approved the party's election program entitled "Manifesto of Justice".^[65] Also, out of the 27 current deputies from A Just Russia, the party nominated only 17 for election. A Just Russia did not nominate deputies who joined party when it merged with the parties For Truth (except Alexander Babakov) and Patriots of Russia. Among the current deputies, long-time party members were mostly nominated.^[66]

New People

In April 2024, the New People party merged with the Party of Growth.^[67]

In March 2026, the first part of the party’s convention took place in Saint Petersburg, where the top three leaders of the federal list for the State Duma elections were approved: party leader Alexey Nechayev, Vladislav Davankov and Sardana Avksentyeva. The party’s main goal was stated to be expanding its faction in the State Duma and strengthening its representation in the regions.^[68]

Before the New People party convention, media reports emerged about a possible expansion of the party list with experienced politicians who had previously been members of other major parties. Among them are Vasily Vlasov, who was formerly one of the closest associates of the Liberal Democratic Party founder Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who previously stepped down as head of the central apparatus of A Just Russia, and Maria Chuprina, a former assistant to ex-leader of Yabloko Sergei Mitrokhin.^[69][70]

On 1 July 2026, the party convention was held, at which 299 candidates for party list and 83 candidates for single-member constituencies were approved.^[71]

Party of Pensioners

On 26 June 2026, the convention of the Party of Pensioners was held in Moscow. The delegates unanimously approved the party list and the election program. The party plans to compete for seats both on party lists and in 108 single-mandate constituencies.^[72] The federal part of the list includes party leader Erik Prazdnikov, three doctors, and a retired major general.^[73] Separately, the convention approved Andrey Svintsov, a State Duma deputy previously expelled from the Liberal Democratic Party, as the head of the regional list for the Moscow Oblast. He explained his decision by saying that this party now genuinely defends the rights of the majority of citizens. The foundation of the election campaign is the "Program for a Normal Life," whose key points include affordable healthcare and dentistry, decent pensions, as well as support for families and young people.^[74]

Yabloko

Yabloko remains sole legal party to openly oppose Russian war in Ukraine, openly agitating "For peace and freedom". The party plans to partake in the 2026 legislative election under this anti-war slogan.^[75][76]

Since the previous elections, 11 members of the party have become defendants in criminal cases, and 12 party members have been added to the register of foreign agents^[77]. Party members recognized as foreign agents, as well as those brought to administrative responsibility for the "demonstration of extremist symbols," have lost their right to participate in elections. Among them: party chairman Nikolay Rybakov, and his deputies Boris Vishnevskiy, Vladimir Dorokhov, and Lev Shlosberg^{[78][79][80][81]}. Another deputy of Rybakov, Maxim Kruglov [ru], was sentenced to 7 years in prison by the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow on June 24, 2026, for publishing information on social media about civilian casualties in Ukraine during the Russian invasion, including in Mariupol and Bucha^[82][83].

On 27 June 2026, the Yabloko convention was held, at which a party list of 275 candidates and 137 candidates for single-mandate constituencies were approved. The party list was headed by the leader of the Chelyabinsk regional branch of the party, lawyer Yaroslav Shcherbakov.^[84]

Rodina

In April 2026, the Rodina party held a convention at which a new leadership body was elected. The main point of intrigue at the congress was the possible joining of writer Zakhar Prilepin to the party and even his election as "ideological leader".^[85] However, Prilepin himself did not attend the event. Rodina leader Aleksey Zhuravlyov stated that the party would very much like to see Prilepin in its ranks, but the matter was postponed. At the same time, his associates were present at the congress, including Alexander Zaremba and Dmitry Shurov (who was also elected secretary of party's political council), and they expressed their readiness to jointly advance the patriotic agenda. Prilepin's possible joining of Rodina was expected ahead of the party's election convention.^[86][87]

On June 28, the party's election convention took place, at which the party list was approved, comprising 15 people headed by Aleksey Zhuravlyov, as well as candidates for single-mandate constituencies. It also became known that Prilepin was absent from the congress and did not make it onto Rodina's candidate list for the election.^[88]

Communists of Russia

The Communists of Russia convention was held on 28 June 2026. Candidates from the party list and single-mandate constituencies were nominated at the congress. The party's election program entitled "Communists for Victory and Soviet Power!" was also announced.^[36][89]

Party of Direct Democracy

The Party of Direct Democracy convention was held on 3 July 2026. The party's list and election program were approved at the convention.^[38]

The electoral program of the Direct Democracy Party, "Exactly Twelve," focuses on returning politics to the people through direct democracy and comprises three key pillars: protecting personal freedoms and civil rights (privacy, free speech, banning digital surveillance), social justice (transparent digital budget, dignified pensions, environmental quotas), and a strong, open state with fair elections, imperative mandates, and the implementation of blockchain technologies for voting and local self-government.^[90]

The Party of Direct Democracy became the only party in the 2026 election that refused to form the federal part of the list and formed it from only 40 regional groups. According to a statement on the party's website, this step is due to the party's refusal to use the "locomotive"^[a] political technology, which other parties use to attract votes by deceiving voters.^[38]

The Greens

In April 2026, The Greens merged with the Green Alternative party.^[91]

On 5 July 2026, the congress of the Green Party was held, at which 263 candidates on the party list and 135 candidates in single-member constituencies were approved. The party list was headed by member of the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg, former leader of Saint Petersburg regional branch of A Just Russia party Marina Shishkina.^[92]

Pre-campaign

Independent polling firms

All polling firms