Russian ruling party wins State Duma election: preliminary results

Preliminary results show the ruling United Russia party won 57.83 percent of the votes in the election for the 9th State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairperson Ella Pamfilova told a press conference Monday.

According to CEC data, after 95.18 percent of the ballots were counted, United Russia led with 57.83 percent of the vote, followed by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation with 13.81 percent and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia with 8.98 percent. New People and A Just Russia garnered 7.96 percent and 4.96 percent of the vote, respectively.

According to the CEC, turnout in this election, held from Friday to Sunday, was 59.32 percent, higher than the 51.72 percent in 2021.

The State Duma is Russia's permanent legislative body, composed of 450 deputies. Half of the seats are distributed proportionally in accordance with party lists, while the remaining 225 are elected through single-mandate constituencies nationwide under a relative-majority voting system. A total of 10 political parties participated in the election.

The final results are expected to be announced on Friday, said Pamfilova.

Russian ruling party wins State Duma election: preliminary results

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Monday that it has prepared itself for a long-term conflict with the United States and its allies.

The statement quoted IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi as saying that if it comes under another "invasion", Iran will introduce new weapons with new capabilities into the fray, in addition to expanding the scope of conflict.

Mohebbi stressed that Iran's policy is to maintain good-neighborly and friendly relations with countries in the region. Iran's missile strikes target only U.S. military equipment and bases, and pose no threat to neighboring countries.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Iran's capital Tehran and other cities. Iran has since tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Under the MoU, they were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, a deadline that expired on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement, but the talks' fate remains unclear amid recent escalations.

Iran's IRGC prepares itself for long-term conflict with US