Pro-Kremlin party looks set to retain majority in Russian parliament

Results from about 85% of the country’s polling stations gave the ruling United Russia party 49.7% of the vote for the 225 seats apportioned by party lists, according to the Central Election Commission

A member of an election commission pulls ballots out of a box preparing to count them at a polling station. Picture: AP

Russia’s dominant Kremlin-backed party looks set to retain the two-thirds majority in the parliament that allows it to change the constitution, according to results from 85% of the country’s polling stations.

The election is widely seen as an important part of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cement his grip on power ahead of the 2024 presidential election, in which control of the state duma, or parliament, will be key.