Radical, militarized and monolithic: this is the new Russian parliament remote-controlled by Putin

MoscowA few days after the incontestable victory of Vladimir Putin's party in the legislative elections, the predictions of those who foresaw an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, a radicalization of Kremlin policies, and a hardening of repression are beginning to come true. The new Duma, constituted this Wednesday, has a record number of war veterans and, on the United Russia bench, the largest in history, sit deputies known for promoting illiberal laws.

Independent analysts believe that the Russian president's party should have obtained 40% fewer votes than what the Electoral Commission certified and report more irregularities in the scrutiny than ever before. The authorities are trying to nip accusations of electoral manipulation in the bud, and for this reason, they have imprisoned and beaten one of the country's most reputable political scientists, Alexander Kynev, who was preparing a report on electoral fraud.

Putin has used the alleged great result of his party and the high turnout figure as a legitimization for his invasion. "The people have supported the heroes fighting for Russia," he said on Monday. Furthermore, he considers that the Ukrainian bombardments during the election days were a provocation that prevents the resumption of peace negotiations. "They must feel Russia's response," states Putin, who after the elections has ordered the intensification of systematic attacks against Kyiv.

In the new Russian parliament, the war will now be even more present with the 46 ex-combatants from Ukraine who have won seats, almost all nominated by United Russia. "I am sure that, by preserving the tradition of front-line brotherhood, they will strengthen and improve the body of deputies," the Kremlin leader pointed out, addressing them from the podium of the chamber. At the head of the chamber, Vyacheslav Volodin will repeat for a third term, a fervent follower of the Russian president, author of the phrase "as long as there is Putin, there will be Russia; if there is no Putin, there will be no Russia." His first vice-president will be Irina Yarovaya, responsible for some of the most repressive laws of recent years that have given more power to the secret services. And Natalia Moskvitina also enters the Duma, one of the most famous anti-abortion activists in Russia, who has already warned that she wants to ban the incitement to voluntary termination of pregnancy.

The main systemic opposition party, the communists, have tried to address with a whisper an electoral manipulation of which they feel they are victims, and have called for an end to electronic voting. But the leader of the extreme right, Leonid Slutski, has already made it clear that "at the time of the holy Special Military Operation it is not the moment to talk about the irregularities in the elections" because they are "rough edges and trivialities".

The fraud figures

The newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe has calculated, based on a mathematical model and polling stations where it is known that there were no falsifications, that United Russia should have won with 34% of the votes, 24 points less than it officially received, and with a turnout of nearly 40%, 19 points lower. Researcher Anatoly Karlin goes further and adds that the Communist Party should have taken 25% of the votes, while the ultranationalists of the Liberal Democratic Party and the liberals of New People should have each achieved 15%.

As political scientist Boris Ovchinnikov explains, the real results for the ruling party and the turnout, without manipulation, are very similar to those of the 2021 elections. However, on this occasion the declared figures have been much higher, which suggests, from his point of view, that we are facing a "precedented" falsification.

These estimates coincide with those of Kinev, one of the few independent political scientists who had not fled Russia, who qualified the elections as a "staging" and described the campaign as "the most unfair and overregulated." A few days after making these statements, he was arrested by police and FSB agents – the former KGB – and entered pretrial detention. His associates claim that during the arrest they tortured him and broke his leg in two places. He is accused of drug trafficking, a charge for which he could spend between ten and twenty years behind bars. His lawyer and family, however, deny any guilt and denounce that he is the victim of a setup.

The authorities' zeal to prevent any expression of dissent with the result of the polls has also led to the banning of demonstrations in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, citing measures against covid.