Russian legislative election, 2003

Legislative elections were held in the Russian Federation on December 7 2003. At stake were 450 seats in the State Council (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), the lower house of the Russian legislature.

As expected, the United Russia party of President Vladimir Putin won the largest number of votes and seats, reducing all other parties to minor status. Even the formal figure of 221 seats for United Russia is an underestimate, because most of the minor party and "independent" members are in fact clients or supporters of President Putin. The elections have thus given Putin complete control of the legislature.

Of the other parties, the Communist Party is still the largest, though much reduced in strength. The extreme right-wing Liberal Democratic Party improved its position. The liberal YaBloko party lost most of its seats. The only other significant party is the Homeland Union, a loose alliance of regional groupings.

National summary of votes and seats

These figures are from the Russian Election Commission and appear to be final.

Registered voters:                108,404,870
Valid votes cast:                  59,297,970   54.7
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                                  List                  List   District Total
Party                             Votes         %       Seats  Seats    Seats
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Agrarian Party                      2,201,806   03.7      -       3       3
Communist Party                     7,622,568   12.8     40      11      51
Homeland Union                      5,443,053   09.2     29       8      37
Liberal Democratic Party            6,923,444   11.7     37       -      37
People's Party                        707,434   01.2      -      16      16
Rebirth of Russia                   1,137,193   01.9      -       3       3
Russian Penioners' Party            1,869,729   03.1      -       1       1
Union of Right Forces               2,390,868   04.0      -       3       3
United Russia                      22,529,459   38.0    119     102     221
YaBloko                             2,601,549   04.4      -       4       4
Others                              3,027,021   05.1      -      74      74
Against all                         2,843,846   04.8                      
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                                   59,297,970           225     225     450
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United Russia has absorbed the parties known as Inter-Regional Movement Unity, or Medved, which won 72 seats at the 1999 elections, and Fatherland All Russia, which won 68 seats.

See Also

• Politics of Russia