Earlier in 2018, elections to the State Duma were scheduled for December 4, 2019, but as a result of debates, the date when the vote would take place was postponed. The election of the seventh convocation of the lower house of the State Duma will take place on September 18.

New Central Election Commission

It is not only the members of the lower house whose terms of office are expiring. In March 2019, the term of office of CEC members expired. On March 28, at a meeting of the renewed Central Election Commission, Ella Aleksandrovna Pamfilova was appointed chairman. Nikolai Ivanovich Bulaev was chosen as the deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission, the secretary of the election commission was Maya Vladimirovna Grishina.

New rules for campaigning for the 2019 elections

Every election is like a game of tug of war - there is a fierce struggle for every voter's vote. Each party is looking for new ways to attract more votes. In accordance with the call of Russian President V.V. Putin for the legitimacy and transparency of the elections, new amendments were made at the legislative level to the conditions of campaigning.

In the last reading, a decision was made to categorically prohibit the use of images of public figures on posters and other propaganda materials. In addition, it is prohibited to place propaganda material of any format on buildings of cultural, historical or architectural value. It is also prohibited to place propaganda materials within 50 meters of voting stations.

The changes also affected rallies. Now the car rally will be equal to a demonstration, and the tent cities will be equal to picketing. Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs believe that such events could provoke riots on the city streets. Everything must happen within the framework of the law.

The law requires the mandatory participation of all candidates in the election race in television debates. New rules for covering the voting process have been introduced for the media.

New Rules for the 2019 Election Process

As for the election process itself, there have been some changes:

  • citizens who create a destabilizing situation at polling stations and also interfere with the work of the election commission will be fined from 2 to 5 thousand rubles. WITH officials will be asked tenfold;
  • photography and video filming is permitted by decree signed by the President of the Russian Federation;
  • it is prohibited to remove an observer from a polling station without the participation of representatives of the judiciary;
  • legally stated exact amount observers belonging to one party or another.

If everything is more or less clear and precise with the election process on voting day, then the pre-election process will make candidates nervous. As is already known, the 2019 State Duma elections will again use a mixed election system. We will tell you in more detail how this will happen.

The mixed type of elections implies an equal proportional ratio of deputies elected from parties and deputies elected in single-mandate constituencies, which means there is a risk of increasing competitors in the lower house. The State Duma includes 450 representatives of various parties, i.e. 225 people will be represented from existing parties, and the second half can consist of representatives of any district. It follows that voters will have to vote on two ballots: party candidates and district representatives.

Single-member districts

The Central Election Commission divided the territory Russian Federation for 225 districts - future mandates. On what principle were the districts “cut”? Using the system of a single norm of representation, the number of voters was divided into 225 mandates, resulting in about 480 thousand voters per mandate. This “delimitation” of the territory of the Russian Federation will continue for 10 years. Given the population of the territory, there are districts with fewer voters, but this will not interfere with the main factor of novelty: each district will receive its own deputy.

The highlight of the definition of districts was the “petal” model of slicing the mandate, i.e. big cities divided into parts, adding to them rural areas. This highly controversial principle literally destroyed the existence of previously created districts. Now candidates for deputies will have to “sweat” to win their vote.

Party lists

The return of the once abolished mixed system sharply reduced the chances of party candidates to enter the Duma. Thanks to innovations in the election system, each party can nominate no more than 10 people in each of 35 regional groups, without resorting to collecting signatures. Such parties include United Russia, LDPR, Communist Party of the Russian Federation, A Just Russia, etc. However, not everyone will receive mandates.

Candidate "Against All"

The main intrigue of the 2019 elections to the State Duma will be the return of the “favorite” favorite of all competitors – the “Against All” candidate. The columns “Against all” and “Against all parties” will be placed at the end of the list of relevant ballots. Such a candidate is capable of sending elections to the second round. This can happen if a given candidate receives more votes in each district of the Russian Federation.

Who is ready to become a State Duma deputy? This question can be answered briefly: anyone (no criminal record and a health certificate from a psychonarcological dispensary is required). But! Before nominating your candidacy among single-mandate constituencies, you need to collect documents, come up with an election program, while collecting 15,000 signatures, or use a new option - primaries.

Primary

The United Russia party made a loud statement about nominating candidates through a system of primaries. This means the qualifying stage of selecting the strongest candidate with a “bright” election program. The primaries took place on May 22, 2019. Basic rules of primaries:

  • Registration of participants in the primaries will take place from April 15 to 21. Any citizen of the Russian Federation who supports the ideology of the United Russia party and is not a member of any other political party can become a participant. Applications will only be accepted from self-nominated candidates;
  • the governors were called upon not to participate in the primaries, since they have their own support “from above”;
  • primaries will be held in every region of the Russian Federation. For this purpose, regional organizing committees have been created;
  • each candidate will agitate voters to choose in favor of the United Russia party, using campaign materials agreed upon with the party;
  • Elections in favor of the candidate will take place on May 22. Each voter can choose one or more leaders from among the participants in the regional primaries;
  • there will be no notorious “day of silence”. Each candidate can conduct campaign politics until May 22;
  • Primaries are held from 8:00 to 20:00.

The result of this process will be the opportunity for the participant who has scored greatest number votes, obtain registration for elections from the party without collecting signatures.

Another interesting fact about the United Russia party. It was unanimously decided not to use the image of the President of the Russian Federation in propaganda material.

Favorite parties in the election race

Companies involved in public surveys are also not bored and use every possible means to identify the public’s “favorites.” According to 2017 data, the leader was the United Russia party. She collected more than 59% of the votes. The Communists gained 9%, while the liberals took a place at the bottom of the list with 9% of the votes. But the question “Who will win?” always remains relevant until Election Day.

00:00 RT completes the online broadcast of the single voting day. Thank you for being with us. Continue to follow the news on our website.

23:55 The RT broadcast is coming to an end. We present to you the brightest moments of the election campaign: someone sang, someone recalled Hollywood films, someone bet on cats.

23:48 RT correspondent Egor Piskunov sums up the results of the single voting day.

23:40 Latest on this moment figures: after counting 18.14% of the protocols, United Russia receives 49.22% of the votes, LDPR - 15.92%, Communist Party of the Russian Federation - 15.46%, A Just Russia - 6.49%.

23:25 “A Just Russia” recognizes the results of the State Duma elections, said party leader Sergei Mironov. “In general, the elections to the State Duma of the seventh convocation took place; A Just Russia has no reason to question the results as a whole,” he noted.

23:01 According to the Central Election Commission, after counting 12.26% of the protocols of precinct election commissions, United Russia is in the lead in 144 single-mandate constituencies, A Just Russia in six, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party in four constituencies each.

22:49 Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin was pleased with the result of the elections, but the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov believes that his party was missing 8-10% of the votes due to twin parties, among which he named the “Party of Pensioners” and “Communists of Russia”. This was reported by TASS and RIA Novosti agencies.

22:30 According to Pamfilova, during the elections only one observer in Russia was removed from the polling station by court decision. This happened in the Sverdlovsk region, the citizen was drunk.

22:05 Video of speeches by Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev at the headquarters of United Russia.

21:56 The head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, said that the elections to the State Duma were legitimate. “There is already complete confidence that the elections are being held quite legitimately. We have done a lot for this,” TASS quotes Pamfilova as saying.

21:48 The results of the State Duma elections showed that society votes for political stability, Vladimir Putin noted. “The situation is not easy, people feel it and want stability in society and the political system,” the Russian President said during a speech at the United Russia election headquarters.

21:42 Latest election data, according to the CEC.

21:35 Speaking at the headquarters of the United Russia party, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced its victory in the elections to the State Duma of the seventh convocation.

21:25 “The result is good,” Vladimir Putin commented on the results achieved by the United Russia party in the elections. The Russian President summed up the voting results while speaking at the United Russia headquarters.

21:17 The Public Opinion Foundation provides the following exit poll figures: United Russia is in the lead, gaining 48.7% of the votes, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation - 16.3%, the Liberal Democratic Party - 14.2%, A Just Russia - 7.6%. According to the FOM, Yabloko gained 3.1%, the Pensioners Party - 1.9%, Rodina - 1.8%, Communists of Russia - 1.5%, the Growth Party - 1.4%, PARNAS - 1.0%, the Greens - 0.7%, Patriots of Russia - 0.6%, Civil Platform - 0.2%, Civil Force - 0.1% of votes.

21:08 According to exit polls, four parties are entering the State Duma. It is noted that United Russia is gaining 44.5% of the votes, LDPR - 15.3%, Communist Party of the Russian Federation - 14.9%, A Just Russia - 8.1%. "Communists of Russia" gain 2.87% of the votes, the Russian Party of Pensioners for Justice - 2.19%, "Rodina" - 1.42%, "Yabloko" - 1.37%, Growth Party - 1.12%, "Greens" ", - 0.82, "Parnas" - 0.70%, "Patriots of Russia" - 0.69%, "Civil Platform" - 0.30%. The last place is currently occupied by “Civil Force” - 0.14%.

21:00 The Central Election Commission announced the preliminary results of the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. RT broadcast live.

21:00 Polling stations were closed throughout Russia. The last to vote were residents of the Kaliningrad region, the westernmost region of the country.

20:52 The US State Department has not yet commented on the attempts of Ukrainian nationalists to prevent Russians from voting in the elections in
State Duma in the building of the Russian Embassy in Kyiv.

“Today we cannot provide anything. Perhaps tomorrow, when the voting is over,” TASS quotes the department’s statement.

20:32 Voter turnout on parliamentary elections at 18.00 Moscow time it was below 50% in all regions of central Russia except the Belgorod region, RIA Novosti reports with reference to regional election commissions. In all 16 regions of the Central District, turnout is lower than in the previous elections in 2011.

20:26 According to data provided by the Russian embassy in Kyiv, 369 Russian citizens voted in Ukraine.

20:17 The Moscow City Election Commission has identified 16 cases of issuing two ballots to people voting using absentee certificates. TASS reports this with reference to the chairman of the election commission Valentin Gorbunov.

“There were signals, they checked, this concerned the fact that for absentee ballots in a number of polling stations, voters were given two ballots. All signals were verified using video surveillance, and 16 such cases were identified,” Gorbunov said.

20:00 Polling stations have closed in all regions of Russia (except for the Kaliningrad region).

19:57 Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Alexander Gorovoy said that the department recorded facts of ballot stuffing at polling stations in the Rostov region.

“Together with our colleagues from the Investigative Committee, we are documenting facts of stuffing at polling stations No. 1958 and No. 1749, where facts of ballot stuffing were documented by means of objective control,” TASS quotes Gorovoy as saying.

19:49 Regional election commissions reported that turnout in Crimea and Sevastopol at 18:00 Moscow time exceeded 40%, TASS reports.

19:45 Moscow is beginning to prepare for the closure of polling stations.

19:35 The Moscow City Election Commission reports that as of 18:00 the voter turnout was 28.62%, RIA Novosti reports.

19:27 First Deputy Head Alexander Gorovoy said that the department is checking reports of stuffing at polling stations in the Rostov region.

19:13 The head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, reported that as of 18:00 Moscow time the turnout was 39.37%.

19:12 Political parties are to blame for the low voter turnout at polling stations in Moscow, said IPCC Chairman Valentin Gorbunov.

“I think that political parties that do not work actively enough with their voters are mainly to blame for such a turnout,” the Moscow agency quotes Gorbunov as saying.

19:00 The Central Election Commission reports that as of 17:00 Moscow time, the maximum turnout was recorded in the following regions: Kemerovo region-78.96%, Tyumen region -74.3%, Chechnya -72.16%.

The minimum turnout was recorded in: Moscow region - 21.73%, Moscow - 19.86%, St. Petersburg - 16.12%.

18:56 Russian military personnel serving in Syria voted in the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. A polling station was opened at the Khmeimim air base. Military personnel from the base, support units, the Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria and civilian personnel took part in the voting.

18:44 The head of the Public Headquarters for Observing Elections in Moscow, Alexey Venediktov, asks to cancel the results of municipal elections in one of the polling stations in the Shchukino district due to violations.

18:41 At one of the polling stations in Omsk, a citizen came to cast his vote in an Iron Man suit.

18:19 An inspection is underway at one of the polling stations in Moscow after a report of mining. This was reported by the Chairman of the Moscow City Election Commission Valentin Gorbunov.

18:00 Deputy Chairman of the Russian Central Election Commission Nikolai Bulaev said that at 15:00 the voter turnout in the elections was 33%, TASS reports.

17:48 Meanwhile, colleagues from the English-language television channel RT have prepared a story for their viewers telling them exactly why today is important.

17:36 Chairman of the Election Commission of the Sverdlovsk Region Valery Chainikov said that administrative liability awaits Pokémon catchers at polling stations.

“An attempt to catch a Pokemon is a violation of public order, obstructing the work of the election commission, Article 5.69 of the Administrative Code. Police officers know this. One of us tried to catch him, he was taken away,” TASS quoted the chairman of the commission as saying.

17:20 Member of the Dagestan election commission Samir Abdulkhalikov said that the commission is checking messages that appeared earlier on social networks about ballot stuffing.

“In general, elections in Dagestan are proceeding calmly. Information about mass stuffing of ballots, which was published on various social networks, is being verified by us. We received one complaint from representatives communist party regarding violations on the territory of one of the polling stations in the city of Makhachkala. Naturally, we will look into this issue. Not a single appeal will be left without consideration,” RIA Novosti quotes a comment from a member of the republic’s election commission.

16:55 At a polling station in the Uvelsky district in Chelyabinsk region an unknown person opened fire.

“According to preliminary data, the shooting occurred in the Uvelsky district. There were no casualties. As a result of the shooting, the glass only broke,” TASS quoted a source as saying. law enforcement agencies areas.

16:51 Ukrainian law enforcement officers drew up protocols on administrative offenses in relation to three people, detained at the Russian Embassy in Kyiv, and then all three were released.

16:40 The Russian Consulate General in Odessa is again blocking access to the diplomatic mission building, preventing voting Russians from getting inside.

“About 10-15 people are again not allowing Russian citizens into the territory of the consulate. The voting process is still blocked,” TASS quoted a representative of the diplomatic mission as saying.

16:34 Another RT correspondent voted at polling station 1274 on Stromynka Street. According to him, there were few people at the site. But in addition to the table with pies, there is also a tray with children's books. Our correspondents considered this site to be the most “open” - the voting booths here were without curtains.

16:25 Meanwhile, an RT correspondent told how he voted at polling station 2765, located in the capital’s Shuvalovsky gymnasium in the west of Moscow. He claims that there is a real sell-out here: elderly, young, and middle-aged voters. At the entrance to the building you are greeted by the pleasant smell of fresh baked goods, on the “delicious tables” - pies with meat - for 40 rubles and with potatoes - for 30. Hot tea is poured for 5 rubles.

16:10 Russia's Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, said that Moscow is waiting for a report on attacks on Russian polling stations in Ukraine.

15:49 Deputy head of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Nikolai Bulaev said that the department is preparing a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs demanding that materials with exit poll data be removed from social networks.

“The law prohibits it within 5 days before voting day, as well as on voting day. The legal department of the rapid response group, having analyzed what is available, will prepare a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in this regard with a statement to the author of the posted material, and a demand has been sent to remove this material, delete it where it is currently posted,” RIA Novosti quotes the words Bulaeva.

15:32 The Russian Embassy in Ukraine reports that in total about 100 Russians voted at the polling station in Kyiv.

15:20 Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Altai region does not comment on reports of possible violations during voting in the State Duma elections.

“For now we will leave this issue without comment, information will be available later,” RIA Novosti quoted the department as saying.

15:12 The Central Election Commission claims that those reporting about “carousels” during voting are “trying to attract additional attention to themselves”—the facts of violations have not yet been confirmed. Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Russia Nikolai Bulaev stated this in an interview with RT.

15:08 The chairman of the election commission of the Rostov region, Sergei Yusov, told Ella Pamfilova that a possible attempt at ballot stuffing was being investigated at one of the polling stations.

14:55 However, we will not limit ourselves to news from Moscow and Kyiv - after all, elections are taking place throughout Russia. In Magas, for example, the head of Ingushetia, Yunus-bek Yevkurov, voted today. Evkurov entrusted his children, Itar, Ramazan, Dali and Magomed, with putting the ballots into the ballot box.

14:30 Many of the Russians who came to the Russian Embassy in Kyiv for the State Duma elections leave without voting. An RT correspondent reports this from the scene.

14:26 112 Ukraine reports that Kyiv police detained a man who beat a Russian at a polling station in the embassy.

14:22 The head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, voted in the elections of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the 7th convocation, RIA Novosti reports.

14:12 The press service of the Svoboda party reported that in Kyiv, when trying to block Russian embassy and the polling station was detained by its deputy Vladimir Nazarenko, reports 112 Ukraine.

14:09 Ukrainian radicals shout to Russian voters through megaphones that each of them is an “accomplice to the crime” and “blood will be on their hands,” an RT correspondent in Russian reports from the scene.

14:05 Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Andrei Nesterenko said that Ukraine promised to take additional measures to protect the Russian polling station in Kyiv.

13:54 TASS's interlocutor denied the information that there were two attackers.

13:47 A citizen who threatened to detonate a bomb at a polling station was taken to the police department for investigation, TASS reports. According to the agency, a dummy bomb was confiscated from the detainee. No explosive devices were found on him. The polling station is operating as usual.

13:35 The second provocateur, according to preliminary data, barricaded himself inside a polling station in Armenian Lane in the center of Moscow.

13:28 Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that one of the provocateurs who threatened to explode at the polling station has been detained.

13:10 “According to preliminary information, an unknown man entered the polling station in Armenian Lane and threatens with explosion“RIA Novosti quotes a source in Moscow law enforcement agencies as saying.

13:03 A man with a suspected explosive device entered a polling station in the center of Moscow.

12:57 Russian President Vladimir Putin voted in the elections to the State Duma of the country.

  • RIA News

12:51 The only Russian at the International space station Anatoly Ivanishin voted in the elections of deputies to the State Duma. Voting was carried out through a proxy, deputy commander of the cosmonaut corps Oleg Kononenko.

12:42 Representatives of the Right Sector ( extremist organization, banned in the Russian Federation) tried to disrupt the voting in the elections to the Russian State Duma in Odessa.

According to RIA Novosti, the radicals did not allow two people into the consulate, blocking their passage. After a small scuffle, police detained two people.

12:37 The entrance to the Russian Embassy in Kyiv is still blocked. An RT correspondent reports this from the scene in Russian. One of the provocateurs was detained.

  • Reuters

12:28 A Russian who came to vote in the State Duma elections was beaten near the Russian Embassy in Kyiv. An RT correspondent reports this from the scene in Russian.

12:12 Ukrainian Minister Georgy Tuka said that criminal cases will be opened against the organizers of voting in the elections to the Russian State Duma in Crimea, the 112 Ukraine TV channel reports.

12:03 In Kamchatka Territory and Chukotka Territory Autonomous Okrug Polling stations closed for the Russian State Duma elections and vote counting began.

12:00 Ella Pamfilova said that claims for libel could be filed against the authors of statements about “carousels” with absentee ballots, which allegedly take place in today’s voting, RIA Novosti reports.

The Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, Tatyana Moskalkova, also confirmed that no violations were recorded in the Moscow region.

11:45 One of the men was holding on a leash big dog and did not allow voters who intended to vote in the elections to the Russian State Duma into the building.

11:37 Three people, including Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Svoboda faction Igor Miroshnichenko, blocked the entrance to the Russian Embassy in Kyiv

11:23 The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov voted at polling station No. 142, while the Leader of the A Just Russia party Sergei Mironov voted at polling station No. 73 in Moscow, RIA Novosti reports.

11:12 Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and the special representative of the Russian President on environmental issues, ecology and transport Sergei Ivanov voted at polling station No. 90 in Moscow school No. 87, RIA Novosti reports.

11:08 Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission Nikolai Bulaev reported on turnout of more than 10% of voters as of 11:00 Moscow time.

10:50 Ella Pamfilova called on Russian citizens to come to the polling stations

“Dear citizens of Russia, come! The choice is wide - 14 parties,” RIA Novosti quotes the head of the Central Election Commission.

10:36 Rashid Temrezov was elected head of Karachay-Cherkessia.

10:35 The Chechen Election Commission reports that approximately 18% of voters have voted in the elections so far, TASS reports.

10:26 Ella Pamfilova, commenting, said that elections in the region could be cancelled.

“To avoid any speculation, we are now looking into the situation that has developed in the Altai Territory. I received all the information directly. If those facts... are confirmed, we will take the most serious measures, even if there are grounds, we will initiate criminal cases and consider the advisability of canceling the elections “,” RIA Novosti quotes Pamfilova as saying.

10:22 Let us remind you that elections to the lower house of parliament are held according to mixed system. 225 deputies will be elected according to party lists and another 225 will be elected under the majoritarian system.

10:15 The head of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Ella Pamfilova, said that a criminal case could be opened regarding violations during voting in the Altai Territory, RIA Novosti reports.

10:13 The parties "United Russia", the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party announced that they would hold a press conference on the results of the elections at the TASS agency on Monday, September 19.

9:51 At the same time in North Ossetia Parliament elected Vyacheslav Bitarov to the post of head of the republic.

9:37 RIA Novosti reports that the chairman of the LDPR party Vladimir Zhirinovsky I have already voted in the elections to the State Duma of Russia at the polling station on Matveevskaya Street in Moscow. The politician declined to comment.

9:29 The Russian diplomatic mission in the United States reports that voting in the elections to the Russian State Duma in the United States will take place at 13 polling stations: eight of them will be specially opened in cities where there are no Russian diplomatic missions or consulates.

9:26 TASS reports that Yabloko candidate Vladimir Ryzhkov announced impending falsifications in the 39th Barnaul electoral district.

“I learned that a so-called “cruise voting” scheme is being prepared in Barnaul,” the agency’s policy quotes the words.

  • Broadcasting images from surveillance cameras installed at polling stations on a monitor in the Central Election Commission on a single voting day.
  • RIA News

9:23 The head of the election commission of the Republic of Crimea, Mikhail Malyshev, said that all polling stations have opened on the territory of the peninsula. Elections to the lower house of the Russian parliament are being held in Crimea for the first time.

“1,207 polling stations have been established on the territory of the Republic of Crimea. They all opened on time. The situation is calm,” RIA Novosti quotes the functionary.

8:51 The Russian Consulate General in Odessa told RIA Novosti that voting on the territory of the diplomatic mission was proceeding without incident.

On September 18, a single voting day took place in Russia, Russians elected deputies to the State Duma according to party lists and single-mandate constituencies, as well as deputies to local government bodies. Turnout in this year's elections was a record low; based on the results of processing 93% of ballots, it was 47.81%. Rain looked into the voting results.

What happened to the State Duma

  • Only four parties were able to enter the State Duma - United Russia (54.42% of the votes), the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (13.52% of the votes), LDPR (13.28% of the votes) and A Just Russia (6.17% of the votes). The LDPR almost managed to overtake the communists; the party had a chance to take a place higher than third for the first time since 1995. “A Just Russia” experienced a large drop in the number of votes cast for the party in these elections: against the backdrop of protest activity in 2011, it gained 13.24%. United Russia received a little more than 49% of the votes in the last elections.
  • As a result of the voting, United Russia received 343 mandates (140 on party lists and 203 in single-mandate constituencies) and a constitutional majority in the State Duma. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation will have 42 mandates (34 on party lists, seven on single-mandate), the LDPR will have 39 mandates (34 on party lists and 5 on single-mandate), and A Just Russia will have 23 mandates (16 on party lists, seven on single-mandate). For comparison, according to the results of the elections in 2011, United Russia received 238 mandates.
  • According to the law, those parties that receive 3% of the votes receive budget funding in the amount of 110 rubles, multiplied by the number of votes cast for this party. In 2011, such a party was Yabloko; the party was entitled to almost 248 million rubles. In these elections, the party was unable to repeat the previous result and received only 1.85% of the votes. The closest result to the three percent barrier was for “Communists of Russia” - 2.35% of the votes. According to the results of the draw at the Central Election Commission, they took second place in the ballot with a similar name and almost identical emblem to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which could have brought them additional votes.
  • Well-known opposition candidates were never able to get into the State Duma. Dmitry Gudkov, who ran for Yabloko in Moscow in the Tushinsky district, could not beat the leader, Gennady Onishchenko. Lev Shlosberg, who also ran from Yabloko, but in the Pskov district, did not even make it into the top three. Maria Baronova, who, with the support of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, ran for the Central District of Moscow, also did not make it into the top three. Her main competitor, Andrey Zubov from PARNAS, took third place in the district.

Reports of violations

  • Pamfilova called these elections the most transparent, but there were reports of violations. On the map of the “Voice” movement, for example, more than 400 messages are indicated in Moscow, more than 200 in St. Petersburg and Samara, and almost 100 in Saratov. investigative committee Already an investigation into the fact of election fraud at a polling station in Rostov-on-Don, and in Dagestan even one of the polling stations.

Single-member districts

  • “United Russia” won in 203 single-mandate constituencies out of 225. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation and “A Just Russia” won seven each, and the LDPR won in five constituencies. “Civic Platform” and “Rodina” each had one victory in single-member constituencies. In most cases, parties did not face competition from United Russia.
  • In 18 single-mandate constituencies, United Russia did not field strong candidates. The heads of key committees and her supporters from other parties remained. United Russia vacated two seats for small parties: the leaders of Rodina and Civic Platform, Alexei Zhuravlev and Rifat Shaikhutdinov. In Adygea, Vladislav Reznik decided to run not from United Russia, but as a self-nominated candidate after the Spanish prosecutor's office put him on the international wanted list on suspicion of involvement in organized crime.

Regional elections

  • Elections to 39 regional parliaments were also held on a single voting day. Most of them will have four parliamentary parties, but in some regions other political forces have also entered the legislative assemblies. Members of Yabloko entered the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and the Pskov region. Also, the “Growth Party” entered the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly.
  • The heads of the region were also elected on September 18. In all regions, the governors who were the acting heads of the subjects won. In the Chechen region, Ramzan Kadyrov won a preliminary victory; in the Tula region, former presidential security guard Alexei Dyumin won. In Komi, Sergei Gaplikov won, in the Tver region - a native of the special services Igor Rudenya, in the Ulyanovsk region - Sergei Morozov, in Tuva - Sholban Kara-ool, in the Trans-Baikal Territory - Natalya Zhdanova.

Photo: Kirill Kallinikov / RIA Novosti

The event was initially scheduled for 23:00 Moscow time on Thursday, but it started after midnight. Some members of the Central Election Commission were noticeably tired and allowed themselves to yawn from time to time. Deputy Chairman of the department Nikolai Bulaev tried to encourage his colleagues, saying that sometimes you need to work in the time zone of Kamchatka and Sakhalin. He also had to read out the final report.

True, the meeting was traditionally opened by the chairman of the department, Ella Pamfilova. She stated that the elections were held legitimately, despite certain violations. “At least we tried to create all the conditions for holding open competitive elections. We were able to ensure transparency and openness,” she said. Continuing her thought, Nikolai Bulaev expressed confidence that the summing up of the election results was equally legitimate, transparent and objective. And this work lays the foundations and rules of corporate behavior in future elections.

According to the final data of the Central Election Commission, the turnout at polling stations last Sunday was 47.88%. 110,061,200 citizens were included in the voter lists, 52,700,992 voters, or the indicated 47.88%, took part in the elections. 809,157 people voted using absentee ballots.

The final results of the parties did not differ much from the results that the CEC had previously announced. As a result of the elections, United Russia received 343 mandates, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation - 42, the Liberal Democratic Party - 39, and the Right Russia - 23. Thus, United Russia secured a constitutional majority in the lower house. According to the list, the party has 140 seats in the State Duma, in single-mandate districts - 203. Candidates from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation won in seven single-mandate districts, the LDPR - in five, and the Right Russia Party - in seven.

In addition, two representatives of non-parliamentary parties and one self-nominated candidate entered the State Duma. Chairman of the Rodina party Alexei Zhuravlev, head of the federal political committee of the Civic Platform Rifat Shaikhutdinov and self-nominated Vladislav Reznik, who was a member of the United Russia faction in the sixth convocation, won the elections in single-mandate constituencies.

At the same time, during the federal election campaign, the election funds political parties and them regional branches 5 billion 140 million rubles were received. "Spent on carrying out election campaigns more than 4.5 billion rubles were returned to donors, or illegal donations worth more than 170 million rubles were transferred to the federal budget,” Bulaev explained. Single-mandate candidates received a total of 3.4 billion rubles for their election funds, of which they spent 3 billion.

After a short debate with representatives of political parties, members of the Central Election Commission signed the protocol and summary tables containing the voting results. According to department secretary Maya Grishina, the protocol was signed at 01:24 Moscow time. Thus, the commission decided to consider the past elections valid and valid. Nikolay Bulaev expressed hope that new line-up The State Duma "contrary to the opinion of skeptics will demonstrate that the main thing for him is Russia and the people."

Meanwhile, Ella Pamfilova did not rule out that elections could be canceled in some precincts or districts, although, in her opinion, there was no overwhelming number of violations during the campaign. She promised to check all the complaints, involving the prosecutor's office and the courts. At the same time, the CEC has enough opportunities to selectively cancel the election results even after the results are approved. Another thing: general results will no longer be questioned.

So far, the department has no plans to cancel elections in any single-mandate constituencies. In addition, it should be taken into account that after the election results are summed up by the district election commission, the Central Election Commission has no legal grounds to demand a recount of votes. “Now the applicant can appeal to the courts, and we, for our part, will definitely check the work of lower-level commissions and draw the appropriate conclusions,” Nikolai Bulaev promised.

One way or another, the Central Election Commission intends to verify the information from each appeal about violations in the September 18 elections. “Appeals to us continue to come. It seems to me that our sacred duty is to deal with each appeal, no matter how comical it may sometimes look,” Bulaev said. “I think that members of the Central Election Commission and regional curators will be able to travel to the regions together with the Central Election Commission apparatus.” According to him, members of the department are as open as possible and want honesty in all respects. “Not only in relation to those who write to us. Those who write to us must also be honest in their relations with the CEC,” he concluded.

Ella Pamfilova, in turn, did not hide the fact that the Central Election Commission is no stranger to self-criticism. She admitted that the commission had failed to a short time change the electoral inertia in the regions, and promised to work on mistakes. “We intend to meet in any format with the leaders of all parties in the near future. We are ready for a serious and substantive conversation about what we need to improve so that future elections are held at a qualitatively different level,” said the head of the commission.

The State Duma is the lower house of parliament, together with the Federal Assembly it represents in our country legislative branch. The status and powers of the State Duma are defined in the Constitution.

As a result of the Constitutional reform of 1993, this political institution exercising supreme legislative power was again established in our country after a long break (since 1917). Elections to the State Duma took place in December 1993. The powers of the Duma of the 1st convocation were exercised for a transition period of 2 years. IN last time The Duma was elected for 5 years.

The constitutional powers of the State Duma are not limited only to the adoption of federal laws, including also giving consent to the appointment of heads of the most important government bodies, declaring amnesties, and even the initiative to remove the president from power.

Elections to the Duma are regulated not only by the norms of the Constitution, but also by the law “On elections of deputies of the State Duma Federal Assembly Russian Federation". The next elections to the State Duma were to be held in December next year, but On July 3, 2015, deputies decided to postpone the elections from December to September. Such a decision was first discussed in 2015, when representatives of the most influential parliamentary factions proposed changing the legislation.

Postponement of elections - pros and cons

Changes to the law on elections of State Duma deputies mean a change not only for 2016, this order will continue in the future. The draft law was initiated by the leaders of United Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party and A Just Russia in May 2015. The reasons for the postponement were primarily the idea of ​​adding voting for State Duma deputies to a single voting day, which traditionally takes place in the regions in September since 2013.

Already in June, the bill was submitted to the State Duma, receiving a positive opinion from the Russian government. On July 1, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation allowed the postponement of election day, recognizing this proposal as constitutional. It is interesting that representatives of the presidential administration, speaking about postponing the election date, distanced themselves from the initiative, leaving its adoption (or non-acceptance) to the discretion of legislators.

According to a number of political scientists, politicians and journalists, the initiative to postpone the elections to the State Duma is caused by the desire of pro-government deputies to prevent opposition parties and movements that are not controlled by the current government from entering the State Duma (for example, Parnas).

An analysis of the results of unified voting days held in Russia since 2013 shows that many voters do not take part in voting during this period. The reasons for this may be either the unfinished dacha season or insufficient interest in the elections at the local and regional level in general. As for the part of the electorate that is guaranteed to participate in the vote, it traditionally stands for United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and the Liberal Democratic Party.

The arguments of supporters of the initiative to change the election legislation also look reasonable. Thus, Sergei Neverov, Chairman of the General Council of United Russia, explains the idea of ​​​​postponing the election date by so that the new composition of the State Duma is determined before the budget for next year is adopted.

The most vulnerable is the expectation of receiving budget savings from the early termination of the powers of the old State Duma, since the payment of compensation to deputies of the current convocation will cover the possible positive effect of savings. And the chairman of the Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov, does not share, according to him, hopes for an economic effect from postponing the elections.

Mixed system - what are the features

The Law on the Election of Deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation establishes amended rules for the election of deputies: for the first time in 2016, they will be held according to the updated system. Voters will now need to vote both on party lists and in single-mandate constituencies (225 State Duma members each).

Half of the parliamentarians will be elected from party lists. There are a number of requirements for inclusion in the party list:

  • support of voters in the region (at least 3% of the vote in the previous elections;
  • current representation of parties in the regions (in local parliaments);
  • 200 thousand signatures of voters (if the party is young and does not yet have its representatives in the regions).

In general, innovations should have a positive effect on political competition - after all, parties operating in a certain region will have to compete for the necessary voter support. It is also interesting that according to the changes in

The Law on Political Parties, the registration threshold for “newborn” political parties was reduced to 500 thousand people, and the number of registered ones increased 10 times. The remaining 225 deputies will be determined as a result of elections in single-mandate constituencies. The election system for them is simple: one district - one deputy. The country is divided into districts according to several principles:

  • on the territory of each region - at least one district;
  • maximum equality of parliamentary representation for voters in each region;
  • deviations in the creation of districts in different regions can be quite large (due to differences in population in different parts of the country).

As for the last point, it exists for the possibility of creating a single-mandate district in a subject of the Russian Federation where the population density is low, for example, Evenkia, Buryatia, although in densely populated areas there will, of course, be more districts.

Russians' opinions on the State Duma elections

Public opinion polls, in particular from the Public Opinion Foundation, show that residents of the country are generally calm about changing the election date. As justification for the transfer, most respondents cite cost savings (no need to spend money on a single vote and elections to the State Duma), the speedy adoption of decisions by the new Duma, and the preservation of political stability in the country.

At the same time, the majority of Russians are ready to take part in the vote (about 79%). As always, the most active part of the electorate is older generation voters.

Assessing the innovations in legislation related to the elections to the State Duma, we can say that they are convenient for the ordinary voter - he will know who exactly represents his region in parliament, and for the first time in the elections one can expect not only political competition between parties, but also personalities, politicians vying for the mandate of a State Duma deputy (including those who are not adherents of any party), and changing the election date will not have a catastrophic effect on voter turnout at the ballot boxes.

Much more important, what changes actually await the country after the convening of the Duma in 2016? Let's hope only positive ones...

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