Putin assessed the "rehearsal" for the State Duma elections

President Vladimir Putin checked the transparency of elections in Russia.

President Vladimir Putin assessed the unified voting day as a "dress rehearsal" for the 2026 State Duma elections. Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova reported on the results of the unified voting day at a meeting in the Kremlin on September 26. As Sergey Markelov, head of the MarkCom company, explained to URA.RU, it was important to Putin that everything be conducted transparently and legitimately, and that the political system be stable.

At the beginning of the meeting, Pamfilova reported that the election campaign "was surprisingly calm." Elections have to be held in extreme situations, but the Central Election Commission has learned to handle them, she noted.

The level of trust in elections is growing, noted Pamfilova. Photo: Vladimir Andreev © URA.RU.

"The system, by the way, has become more sophisticated over the years. It's become incredibly resilient and at the same time very dynamic. For the first time, there isn't a single complaint that requires any consideration by the Central Election Commission. Trust in the elections themselves and the quality of the election process is growing," the head of the Central Election Commission said, not without pride.

Pamfilova specifically discussed the "wave" of SVO participants. Of the 1,663 candidates, 1,035 were elected, she cited the latest figures.

The head of state thanked the head of the Central Election Commission and her colleagues for their work under difficult conditions. "Everyone is working at their posts, fulfilling their duties," Putin said. But above all, he emphasized, we must thank the voters who come to the polling stations and cast their ballots for candidates.

Putin always analyzes elections based on the most important criterion: legality, says Sergei Markelov. This is important to him as the country's leader.

"The president needs everything to be natural, understandable, and transparent. The key word is legitimacy. The point of Pamfilova's report is to demonstrate political stability; that's exactly the signal Putin was waiting for," the URA.RU source explained.

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The unified voting day is a "litmus test" of the preliminary work, which was already carried out by governors and local authorities, the political scientist continued. "Were the SVO participants offended during the elections? Did anyone commit any noisy actions that undermined their legitimacy? This is all the responsibility of the regions. There have been no major emergencies or disruptions so far," Markelov noted.

Parties' responsibilities are heightened during the State Duma elections. The President already managed to motivate them to work productively during his meeting with parliamentary faction leaders on September 18.