Russia’s parliamentary election: Who’s on the ballot, and why it matters

Russians are heading to the polls from Friday to Sunday to elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in the first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ruling party, United Russia, is expected to maintain its dominant position, despite criticism regarding the lack of genuine opposition on the ballot. The elections are spread over three days to boost turnout among the 111 million eligible voters.