The 2011 Russian legislative election resulted in United Russia winning a reduced but still absolute majority of seats. United Russia's vote share and seats declined significantly from 2007, while the Communist Party, A Just Russia, and Liberal Democratic Party all increased their vote shares and seat totals. This reduced but did not eliminate United Russia's control over the State Duma.

1. By: Benedict S. Gombocz

2. Russian legislative election, 1993
 Held in Russia on 12 December 1993;
included last elections to Federation
Council of Russia.
 Took place in aftermath of 1993
Russian constitutional crisis, a violent
confrontation on the streets of
Moscow resulting in dissolvement of
State Duma by military force.
 President Boris Yeltsin hoped to
resolve political turmoil by decreeing
for election to new Russian parliament
and constitutional referendum to be
held 12 December 1993.
 New election law adopted for 1993
State Duma election arranged half of
the 450 State Duma members to be
elected with party-list system of
proportional representation; half were
elected as individual representatives
from single-member districts.

3. Russian legislative election, 1993 –
Results (State Duma)
 PR  Constituency
 Party: Liberal Democratic  Party: Liberal Democratic
Party Party
 Votes: 12,318,562  Votes: 1,577,400
 %: 22.9  %: 3.0
 Seats: 59  Seats: 11
 Total seats: 70
 Party: Russia’s Choice
 Votes: 8,339,345  Party: Russia’s Choice
 %: 15.5  Votes: 3,630,799
 Seats: 40  %: 6.8
 Seats: 56
 Total seats: 96

4. Russian legislative election, 1995
 Held in Russia on 17 December 1995.
 At stake were 450 seats in State Duma
( ма,
Gosudarstvennaya Duma).
 Election law adopted for 1995 election
resembled that adopted for 1993
election, with a few minor
modifications.
 1). To win a place on proportional
representation ballot, parties had to have
been registered with Ministry of Justice
no later than six months preceding the
election; number of signatories needed
to gather increased from 100,000 to
200,000.
 2). Invalid votes were newly included in
calculation of 5.0 percent threshold.
 3). On single-member district ballot,
party backing of candidates was
revealed.

5. Russian legislative election, 1995 –
Results
 PR  Constituency
 Party: Communist Party  Party: Communist Party
 Votes: 15,432,963  Votes: 8,636,392
 %: 22.30  %: 12.78
 Seats: 99  Seats: 58
 Total seats: 157
 Party: Liberal Democratic  +/-: +92
Party
 Votes: 7,737,431  Party: Liberal Democratic
 %: 11.18 Party
 Seats: 50  Votes: 3,801,971
 %: 5.63
 Seats: 1
 Total seats: 51
 +/-: -19

6. Russian legislative election, 1995 –
Results - cont.
 PR  Constituency
 Party: Our Home –  Party: Our Home –
Russia Russia
 Votes: 7,009,291  Votes: 3,808,745
 %: 10.13  %: 5.64
 Seats: 45  Seats: 10
 Party: Yabloko  Party: Yabloko
 Votes: 4,767,384  Votes: 2,209,945
 %: 6.89  %: 3.27
 Seats: 31  Seats: 14

7. Russian legislative election, 1999
 Held in Russia on 19 December
1999.
 At stake were 450 seats in State
Duma.
 According to 1993 electoral law,
225 members of the house were
distributed proportionally with
statewide party lists, where as 225
members were elected in single-
member constituencies with use
of first past the post system.
 As in the 1995 election, this
system resulted in large number
of parties who engaged in trying
to win proportional seats, and a
significant number of elected
independent deputies.

8. Russian legislative election, 1999 –
Results
 PR  Constituency
 Party: Communist Party  Party: Communist Party
 Votes: 16,196,024  Votes: 8,893,547
 %: 24.29  %: 13.73
 Seats: 67  Seats: 46
 Total seats: 113
 Party: Unity  +/-: -44
 Votes: 15,549,182
 %: 23.32  Party: Unity
 Seats: 64  Votes: 1,408,801
 %: 2.17
 Seats: 9
 Total seats:73
 +/-: New party

9. Russian legislative election, 1999 –
Results – cont.
 PR  Constituency
 Party: Fatherland – All Russia  Party: Fatherland – All Russia
 Votes: 8,886,753  Votes: 5,469,389
 %: 13.33  %: 8.43
 Seats: 37  Seats: 31
 Total seats: 68
 Party: Union of Right Forces  +/-: New party
 Votes: 5,677,247
 %: 8.52  Party: Union of Right Forces
 Seats: 24  Votes: 2,016,294
 %: 3.11
 Seats: 5
 Total seats: 29
 +/-: New party

10. Russian legislative election, 1999 –
Results – cont.
 PR  Constituency
 Party: Zhirinovsky Bloc  Party: Zhirinovsky Bloc
 Votes: 3,990,038  Votes: 1,026,690
 %: 5.98  %: 1.58
 Seats: 17  Seats: 0
 Total seats: 17
 Party: Yabloko  +/-: -34
 Votes: 3,955,611
 %: 5.93  Party: Yabloko
 Seats: 16  Votes: 3,289,760
 %: 5.07
 Seats: 4
 Total seats: 20
 +/-: -25

11. Russian legislative election, 2003
 Held in Russia on 7 December 2003.
 At stake were 450 seats in State Duma.
 As anticipated, pro-Vladimir Putin
United Russia won largest number of
votes and seats.
 Of the other three parties, Communist
Party is still largest, although its
strength was reduced; Liberal
Democratic Party improved its
position with but a few delegates.
 Liberal Yabloko and liberal-
conservative Union of Right Forces
lost majority of seats; only other
significant party was Rodina.

12. Russian legislative election, 2003 –
Results
 PR  Constituency
 Party: United Russia  Party: United Russia
 Votes: 22,776,294  Votes: 14,123,625
 %: 37.6  %: 23.9
 Seats: 120  Seats: 103
 Total seats: 223
 Party: Communist Party  +/-: New party
 Votes: 7,647,820
 %: 12.6  Party: Communist Party
 Seats: 40  Votes: 6,577,598
 %: 11.2
 Seats: 12
 Total seats: 0
 +/-: -61

13. Russian legislative election, 2003 –
Results – cont.
 PR  Constituency
 Party: Zhirinovsky Bloc  Party: Zhirinovsky Bloc
 Votes: 6,944,322  Votes: 1,860,905
 %: 11.5  %: 3.2
 Seats: 36  Seats: 0
 Total seats: 36
 Party: Rodina  +/-: +19
 Votes: 5,470,429
 %: 9.0  Party: Rodina
 Seats: 29  Votes: 1,719,147
 %: 2.9
 Seats: 8
 Total seats: 37
 +/-: New party

14. Russian legislative election, 2007
 Held in Russian Federation on 2 December
2007.
 At stake were 450 seats in State Duma.
 Eleven parties, including largest party
United Russia (supported by President
Vladimir Putin), were on the ballot.
 Official results concluded that United
Russia won 64.3% of the votes; Communist
Party of the Russian Federation 11.6%;
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 8.1%;
Fair Russia 7.7%.
 None of the other parties gained enough
votes to win any seats.
 Even though 400 foreign election monitors
were present at the polling stations, the
elections were met with mix ed criticism
internationally, largely from Western
countries, and by some independent media
and some opposition parties domestically;
the observers said that the elections were
not rigged but that media coverage still
favored United Russia.

15. Summary of 2 December 2007 Russian
Duma election results
 Votes  MPs
 Party: United Russia  Party: United Russia
 #: 44,714,241  #: 315
 %: 64.30  +/-: +92
 +/- pp swing: +26.73  %: 70,0
 Party: Communist Party of Party: Communist Party of
the Russian Federation the Russian Federation
 #: 8,046,886 #: 57
 %: 11.57 +/-: +5
 +/- pp swing: -1.04 %: 12,7

16. Summary of 2 December 2007 Russian
Duma election results – cont.
 Votes  MPs
 Party: Liberal Democratic  Party: Liberal Democratic
Party of Russia Party of Russia
 #: 5,660,823  #: 40
 %: 8.14  +/-: +4
 +/- pp swing: 3.31  %: 8,9
 Party: A Just Russia  Party: A Just Russia
 #: 5,383,639  #: 38
 %: 7.74  +/-: +1
 +/- pp swing: 7.74  %: 8,4

17. Russian legislative election, 2011
 Held in Russia on 4 December 2011.
 At stake were 450 seats in State Duma.
 United Russia won elections with 49.32% of
vote, and took 238 seats or 52.88% of the
Duma seats; this result was down from 64.30%
of the vote and 70% of seats in 2007 elections.
 Communist Party of the Russian Federation
gained 19.19% of votes and 92 seats; A Just
Russia gained 13.24% and 64 seats, and the
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia got 56 seats
and 11.67% of vote.
 Yabloko, Patriots of Russia, and Right Cause
failed to cross 7% election threshold; list of
State Duma represented parties did not
change.
 United Russia lost two-thirds constitutional
majority it boasted prior to election, but still
won absolute majority of seats in Duma,
though with less than 50% of popular vote; in
turn Communist Party, Liberal Democratic
Party, and A Just Russia all won new seats in
comparison to last election.

18. Summary of 4 December 2011 State
Duma election results
 Seat composition
 Party: United Russia
 Seats: 238
 +/-: -77
 %: 52.88%
 Popular vote: 32,379,135
 %: 49.32%
 +/- pp swing: -14.98%
 Party: Communist Party
 Seats: 92
 +/-: +35
 %: 20.46%
 Popular vote: 12,599,507
 %: 19.19%
 +/- pp swing: +7.62%

19. Summary of 4 December 2011 State
Duma election results – cont.
 Party: A Just Russia
 Seats: 64
 +/-: +26
 %: 14.21%
 Popular vote: 8,695,522
 %: 13.24%
 +/- pp swing: +5.50%
 Party: Liberal Democratic Party
 Seats: 56
 +/-: +16
 %: 12.45%
 Popular vote: 7,664,570
 %: 11.67%
 +/- pp swing: +3.53%