2026 Russian legislative election
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Legislative elections are currently being held in Russia from 18 to 20 September 2026.[1] At stake are 450 seats in the State Duma of the 9th convocation, the lower house of the Federal Assembly. Going into the election, United Russia is the ruling party after winning the 2021 election with 49.8% of the vote, taking 324 seats.
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18–20 September 2026
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All 450 seats to the State Duma 226 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This will also be the first legislative election in Russia to take place since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and therefore the election will be the first legislative one to take place in the newly-annexed territories from Ukraine, taking place amidst the ongoing war. Russia opened polling stations in Moldova's Russian-occupied region of Transnistria as well; both moves drew international condemnation.
Background
The 2021 elections were held from 17 to 19 September 2021. According to their results, United Russia once again obtained a constitutional majority, losing 14 mandates in the single constituency and 5 in single-mandate constituencies. For the first time since the 2003 elections, more than four parties crossed the percentage threshold under the proportional system: the right-liberal party New People was admitted to the distribution of seats. The results of the A Just Russia – For Truth party improved due to the merger of A Just Russia with Patriots of Russia and Zakhar Prilepin's For Truth party, while the LDPR lost almost half of its seats. However, the 2021 election is considered by non–systemic opposition to be falsified, unfair, and unjust due to systematic violations and the exclusion of independent candidates and parties.[2][3]
In the presidential election held from 15 to 17 March 2024, with a record turnout of 77.49%, the incumbent president Vladimir Putin was re-elected, showing a record result (87.28%). It is considered by non–systemic opposition to be the most unfair and unjust election in the history of Russia.[4][5][6][7]
The non-systemic opposition attempted to participate in previous federal electoral campaigns: Smart Voting was utilized during the elections to the 8th State Duma, and during the 2024 presidential election, there were calls to vote for any candidate other than Vladimir Putin or to spoil the ballot, along with the Noon Against Putin campaign. A number of politicians and public figures representing the non-systemic opposition were sentenced to imprisonment in correctional facilities or other criminal sanctions, designated as foreign agents, or emigrated due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent tightening of legislation. The leader of the non-systemic opposition, Alexei Navalny, died in prison on 16 February 2024.
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 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]
Electoral system
Under current Russian election laws, the State Duma service term is limited to five years and each seat is allotted through parallel voting. Half of the seats (225) are elected by party-list proportional representation with a 5% electoral threshold in number of votes. The other half elected in 225 single-member constituencies (circuits) by first-past-the-post voting (plurality voting).[12] In the proportional part, candidates can be nominated only by political parties, and the lists of parties must include at least 200 and no more than 400 candidates; the list may also include candidates who are not members of the party, but their number should not exceed 50% of the number of candidates on the list. The party list of candidates may be divided into federal and regional parts, which include regional groups of candidates corresponding to the group of bordering federal subjects of Russia. The number of regional groups must be at least 35, and no more than fifteen candidates may be included in the federal part of the list of candidates. The regional parts of the party list should cover the entire territory of Russia. At the same time, the federal part is not mandatory for the list. A party's list can only be formed from regional groups.[13]
In the majoritarian part, candidates can be nominated both by political parties and in the order of self-nomination. The political party must provide a list of candidates to the Central Election Commission, and the list must contain the name and number of the constituencies in which each candidate would run. Documents of candidates-self-nominees, unlike candidates from political parties, have to submit applications to District Election Commissions.[14] For registration, the self-nominated candidate must collect at least 3% of the signatures of voters residing in the constituency, or at least 3,000 signatures if the constituency has less than 100,000 voters.[15] One and the same candidate can be nominated both in the party list and in the single-member constituency; however, in the case of their passage to the State Duma and the party list and in the single-member constituency, they would need to give up one of the places. They usually refuse the seat received on the party list, as in this case the party does not lose this seat and simply would pass it on to another candidate.
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Electronic voting allegedly used for electoral falsifications in the previous legislative election and elections to Moscow City Duma will be rolled out in 33 regions covering roughly 48 million eligible voters during the election.[16]
Redistricting
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In 2015 State Duma constituencies map was adopted for the period of ten years, so for the 2026 elections a new map should be drawn. In April 2025 the Central Election Commission of Russia introduced a new map of 225 constituencies.[17] In the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, constituencies were established in the four regions which have been occupied since 2022 (3 in Donetsk People's Republic, 2 in Luhansk People's Republic, 1 in Kherson Oblast, and 1 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast), while those in Crimea, occupied since 2014, were significantly re-arranged. Within Russia's internationally recognized borders, three regions gained one constituency each: Moscow (16), Moscow Oblast (12) and Krasnodar Krai (9), while ten regions each saw losing one seat – Rostov Oblast (6), Altai Krai (3), Volgograd Oblast (3), Voronezh Oblast (3), Zabaykalsky Krai (1), Ivanovo Oblast (1), Kaluga Oblast (1), Smolensk Oblast (1), Tambov Oblast (1), Tomsk Oblast (1). Constituencies were significantly re-arranged in Dagestan, Tatarstan, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Sverdlovsk Oblast and Saint Petersburg, minor changes were made to districts in Chuvashia, Kursk Oblast, Leningrad Oblast, Lipetsk Oblast, Samara Oblast, Ulyanovsk Oblast and Vladimir Oblast.[18] Furthermore, most of the constituencies in Krasnodar Krai and Rostov Oblast were renamed.
On May 20, 2025, the State Duma adopted the new constituencies map during the third reading by a 396–3 vote with Galina Khovanskaya (SR–ZP), Marina Kim (SR–ZP) and Yevgeny Marchenko (Independent) voting against the map.[19] Only Khovanskaya raised vocal opposition to the new map, objecting the removal of Sokol District from her Leningradsky constituency.[20] On May 21 Federation Council unanimously approved the new map and on May 23 President Vladimir Putin signed the bill into law.[21][22] Unlike the previous constituencies map, the new one was adopted for the term of five years which means only the 2026 election will be conducted with the new constituencies.
New seatsTen new districts were created after the 2025 redistricting process:
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Seats eliminatedThe following districts were eliminated and became obsolete:
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Political parties
As of December 2023, 25 political parties are registered in Russia.[23] According to nomination rules parties represented in the State Duma (in this case, seats must be obtained in the vote on the party list), parties that received more than 3% of the vote (by party list) in the previous election or are represented at least in one of the regional parliaments (also by party list) are allowed to contest in the elections without collecting signatures. Other parties need to collect 200,000 signatures if they have also held conventions and nominated candidates to participate in the elections. The official list of parties entitled to participate in the elections without collection of signatures was announced before the election. After the 2025 regional elections, there are only 11 such parties.[24][25]
Automatically on ballot
This section contains a list of political parties that have held conventions, nominated candidates and successfully bid for submission of their candidate lists and their registration. As of 30 July 2026, all parties eligible for automatic inclusion on the ballot have held conventions, submitted their lists and obtained their registration.[26]
| No. on ballot[27] | Party | Abb. | Party leader | No. 1 in federal party list | Convention date | Political position | Ideologies | Party list | SMC | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Russia | UR | Dmitry Medvedev | Sergey Lavrov | 28 June 2026[28] | Big tent | National conservatism / Statism / Putinism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 21 July | |
| Yabloko | Yabloko | Nikolay Rybakov | Yaroslav Shcherbakov | 27 June 2026[29] | Centre-left | Social liberalism / Pro-Europeanism / Progressivism / Anti-war | ✘ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 29 July. Party list disqualified by the Supreme Court of Russia on 10 August. Judicial appeal of the court decision is expected, 127 party candidates[30] in single-member majoritarian constituencies have not been disqualified.[31][32] | ||
| 3 | Liberal Democratic Party of Russia | LDPR | Leonid Slutsky | Leonid Slutsky | 23 June 2026[33] | Right-wing to far-right | Russian nationalism / Pan-Slavism / Ultranationalism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 22 July | |
| 4 | Party of Direct Democracy | PPD | Tatyana Kolnauz | None | 3 July 2026[34] | Centre to centre-right | Direct democracy / E-democracy | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 30 July | |
| 5 | Russian Ecological Party "The Greens" | The Greens | Konstantin Atayan | Marina Shishkina | 5 July 2026[35] | Centre | Green politics / Agrarianism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 30 July | |
| 6 | A Just Russia | SR | Sergey Mironov | Sergey Mironov | 4 July 2026[36] | Centre-left | Socialism of the 21st century / Social democracy / Social conservatism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 23 July | |
| 7 | Rodina | Rodina | Aleksey Zhuravlyov | Aleksey Zhuravlyov | 28 June 2026[37] | Far-right | Russian nationalism / National conservatism / Right-wing populism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 29 July | |
| 8 | Communist Party of the Russian Federation | CPRF | Gennady Zyuganov | Gennady Zyuganov | 20 June 2026[38] | Left-wing to far-left | Communism / Marxism–Leninism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 17 July | |
| 9 | Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice | RPPSS | Erik Prazdnikov | Erik Prazdnikov | 26 June 2026[39] | Centre to centre-right | Pensioners' interests / Social conservatism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 28 July | |
| 10 | Communists of Russia | CR | Sergey Malinkovich | Sergey Malinkovich | 28 June 2026[40] | Far-left | Communism / Anti-revisionism / Stalinism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 28 July | |
| 11 | New People | NL | Alexey Nechayev | Alexey Nechayev | 1 July 2026[41] | Centre to centre-right | Liberalism / Communitarianism / Regionalism | ✓ | ✓ | CEC registered the federal list of candidates on 20 July | |
Access to ballot by collecting signatures
Other registered political parties that could have participated in the elections, but needed to collect signatures to be included in the ballots and did not run in the elections.[42]
| Party | Party leader | Ideology | 2021 election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian Party of Freedom and Justice | Ilmi Shagan | Socialism | 0.77% | |
| Party of Russia's Rebirth | Igor Ashurbeyli | Social democracy / Democratic socialism / Civic nationalism | DNP | |
| Cossack Party of the Russian Federation | Sergey Kolosok | Cossacks interests | DNP | |
| Democratic Party of Russia | Alexander Zorin | Conservatism / Liberalism / Populism / Pro-Europeanism / Soft Putinism | DNP | |
| Party for Justice! | Vladimir Ponomarenko | Social conservatism | DNP | |
| Party of Progress | Olesya Petriyenko | Social liberalism | DNP | |
Campaign
United Russia
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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.[43]
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.[44]
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.[45]
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.[46][47]
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.[48] 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 technique 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.[49][50]
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.[51]
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.[52][53]
Communist Party
According to Yury Afonin, the party's first deputy leader, the 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.[54]
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.[55] 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.[56]
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.[57]
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.[58]
On June 23, 2026, party convention took place in Ruza, Moscow Oblast.[59] 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.[60][61]
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.[62][63]
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.[64] The media drew attention to the nomination of former Ukrainian Acting Prime Minister and National Bank Governor Serhiy Arbuzov on the party's list.[65] In addition, the congress approved the party's election program entitled "Manifesto of Justice".[66] 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.[67]
New People
In April 2024, the New People party merged with the Party of Growth.[68]
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.[69]
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.[70][71]
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.[72]
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.[73] The federal part of the list includes party leader Erik Prazdnikov, three doctors, and a retired major general.[74] 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.[75]
Yabloko
Yabloko remained the sole registered party to openly oppose the Russian war in Ukraine, openly agitating "For peace and freedom". The party planned to partake in the 2026 legislative election under this anti-war slogan.[76][77]
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.[78] 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.[79][80][81][82] Another deputy of Rybakov, Maxim Kruglov, 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.[83][84]
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.[85]
On 10 August 2026, Russia's Supreme Court removed Yabloko from the ballot, following a lawsuit by the Rodina party. Yabloko officials state that they intend to appeal the ruling.[86][87][32]
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".[88] 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.[89][90]
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.[91]
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.[40][92]
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.[34]
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.[93]
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" technique in its nominations[a], which other parties use to attract votes by deceiving voters.[34]
The Greens
In April 2026, The Greens merged with the Green Alternative party.[94]
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.[95]
Opinion polls
 All opinion polls. Up to 95% polling results of the graph are sourced from pollsters affiliated to the president Putin and the Presidential Administration, notably FOM and VCIOM
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 Graph of independent, opposition and alleged closed Kremlin opinion polls. Consists of 31 Levada Center, 9 Russian Field, 4 CIPKR, 3 ACF, 1 INSOMAR, 2 ExtremeScan and 2 alleged closed Kremlin-ordered polls.
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Conduct
On the week of the election, a CEC employee was killed in a drone attack in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in occupied Ukraine. On the first day of voting, a polling station in Krasnodar Krai was relocated due to drone damage, while in Luhansk Oblast, occupied Ukraine, 14 polling station lost electricity following a drone attack on energy infrastructure. In Sochi, election workers and voters were forced to seek shelter due to an air raid alert. There were reports of widespread failures of electronic voting terminals in Moscow.[96]
Results
Reactions
On 13 August, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the results of the election in Russian-occupied Ukraine would be invalid because the vote was illegal, stating that the presence of a mission of international observers from post-Soviet states did not alter this fact and suggesting that their presence was a tool for Russia to attempt to legitimize the results.[97]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova condemned Russia's intention to open polling stations in the Moldovan unrecognized breakaway region of Transnistria for the election, calling such a move, not coordinated with the Moldovan government, "unacceptable" and a violation of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Vadim Krasnoselsky, the de facto president of Transnistria, had previously announced that Russia would open 17 polling stations in Transnistria for its 2026 legislative election. The Russian embassy in Chișinău had agreed with the Moldovan government the opening of uniquely one polling station, in Chișinău. According to the breakaway government, around 220,000 residents in Transnistria had Russian citizenship at the time.[98] Five days later, Moldova's foreign ministry summoned Oleg Ozerov, the Russian ambassador to Moldova, and handed him a formal note of protest on 3 September, calling on Russia to refrain from opening polling stations in Transnistria for its own election.[99]
Officials from Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on 18 September Russia's opening of polling stations for the election in Transnistria without the Moldovan government's consent, as well as the illegal holding of the election in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, expressing Romania's support for the territorial integrity of both countries.[100]
Notes
- A political technique in which more well‑known and popular figures (usually government members, governors, mayors, actors, athletes, etc., who do not really intend to be elected to parliament) are placed at the top of the party list. After the election, these frontrunners give up their seats, which are then passed down to the less prominent politicians further down the list.