Islamabad (GNP): The Embassy of Russia in Pakistan provided Russian citizens residing in or temporarily staying in Pakistan with an opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the elections of deputies to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament.
On September 20, a polling station was open at the Embassy in Islamabad. A total of 130 Russian citizens cast their ballots, including Embassy and Trade Mission officials and their family members, as well as Russian citizens residing in or temporarily staying in Pakistan.
Two observers appointed by the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation were present at the polling station. According to the observers, voting proceeded smoothly and in accordance with the established procedures.
Ambassador Albert P. Khorev, Chair of the Precinct Election Commission, spoke about the arrangements made to facilitate voting:
“Given the traffic restrictions currently in place in Islamabad, the Embassy, in close coordination with the Pakistani authorities, took additional steps to inform Russian citizens about the voting arrangements and provided convenient transportation to the polling station. Every effort was made to ensure that Russian citizens living in Islamabad and the surrounding areas could exercise their right to vote.”
Olga Starkova, observer from the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation:
“I would like to commend the efficient work of the election commission at the Russian Embassy in Islamabad. No violations of the established voting procedures were identified.”
Natalia Zhilina, observer from the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation:
“Voting proceeded calmly, with all the necessary procedures duly followed. It is worth noting the responsible attitude demonstrated by both the organizers and the voters.”
The Embassy of Russia in Pakistan thanks all Russian citizens who exercised their constitutional right to vote and participated in the parliamentary elections, demonstrating their civic responsibility.
General Information about the State Duma Elections
In Russia, elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, are held once every five years.
In the 2026 elections, 450 seats were contested:
– 225 seats were elected from federal party lists;
– 225 seats were elected in single-member constituencies, where candidates nominated by political parties and independent candidates could compete.
10 political parties appeared on the federal party-list ballot:
1. United Russia
2. Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF)
3. Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR)
4. A Just Russia — For Truth
5. New People
6. Rodina (Motherland)
7. Communists of Russia
8. Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice
9. Greens
10. Party of Direct Democracy
According to the Russian Central Election Commission, turnout stood at approximately 56.6% as of 21:00 Moscow time on September 20, exceeding the turnout reported in the previous State Duma election.
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In addition to voting at polling stations, Russian citizens could exercise their right to vote remotely through the vybory.gov.ru portal.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
