Russia’s Ruling Pro-Putin Party Wins Majority but Loses Some Ground

Members of a local election commission count ballots at a polling station inside Kazansky railway terminal after polls closed during a three-day long parliamentary election in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 19, 2021. Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

MOSCOW—Russia’s ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, retained its majority in parliament after a three-day election and a sweeping crackdown on its critics, despite losing around one fifth of its support, partial results on Monday showed.

With 33 percent of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission said United Russia had won just over 45 percent of the vote, with its nearest rival, the Communist Party, at around 22 percent.