Putin says long voting lines prove Russia won’t be intimidated amid ballot glitch
Vladimir Putin praised the high turnout at the State Duma election, saying the queues at Moscow polls show Russia cannot be scared, even though a system error delayed paper ballots for hours.
Vladimir Putin addressed government members after the State Duma elections held from September 18 to 20, expressing gratitude for what he called “active participation” and asserting that the extensive queues at polling stations reflected Russia’s unwillingness to be intimidated. He cited the record number of voters as evidence of popular backing for the nation’s strengthening efforts. In Moscow, the voting process was hampered by a malfunction in the electronic voter list system, leaving many voters without paper ballots for several hours and creating long lines.
Opposition figures had called for a noon turnout to register protest, yet the turnout was lower than the “Noon Against Putin” demonstration during the 2024 presidential race. Putin framed the vote as a mandate for the government and for the participants of the special military operation, emphasizing that the electorate believes in the leadership’s victory.
Why it matters
The comments link voter turnout to political legitimacy amid technical issues and opposition protests.
How this story developed
- Sep 10 Ukrainian forces begin new offensive in northern Donetsk, commander says
- Sep 12 Russia will hold a tightly-controlled parliamentary election from Sept 18-20, the first since the 2022 invasion and seen as a barometer of support for the war.
- Sep 15 Ukrainian troops repelled a Russian assault on Lyman.
- Sep 16 Voting has begun, moving the election from planning to execution.
- Sep 19 Putin framed the election as a plebiscite on the war and called on citizens to turn out in support.
- Sep 19 State pollster VTsIOM said Putin’s trust rating hit 74.2% in the week before the election.
- Sep 21 Election commission chair Ella Pamfilova said preliminary results will be announced Monday at 11 hours (10 hours in Paris).
- Sep 21 Partial results show United Russia holding at least 338 of the 450 Duma seats.
- Sep 21 Preliminary results show United Russia winning 355 of the 450 State Duma seats, surpassing its previous 2016 high. The foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway issued a joint statement condemning elections held in Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions seized by Russia as violations of Ukraine's sovereignty. They demanded accountability for those organizing the vote and urged Russia to end its war and accept an unconditional ceasefire. The same period saw France support the removal of oligarch Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list, a move backed by Slovakia and linked to broader negotiations over detained French nationals in Azerbaijan.
- Sep 21 The Quai d’Orsay condemns holding the vote in the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, calling it a violation of international law and the UN Charter and stating Fran
- Sep 21 Western allies issued a joint declaration condemning the election as a breach of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
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