Russia wraps up first wartime parliamentary election, Kremlin set to retain control

Russia on Sunday wrapped up its first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party widely expected to retain its overwhelming control of the State Duma.The three-day vote was held amid a crackdown on political dissent, with major anti-war opposition figures imprisoned, exiled or barred from the ballot. Turnout stood at 56.66 per cent when polls closed, according to Russia's Central Election Commission.About 111 million voters were eligible to cast ballots for the 450-seat lower house. Half the seats are contested through party lists and the rest through single-seat constituencies.The election also included voting in four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia after the war began, as well as Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Ukraine condemned the voting in Russian-held territories and urged other countries not to recognise the results.