Putin's Party Expected to Retain Power in Sunday's Parliamentary Elections

The ruling United Russia party is expected to retain its absolute majority and perhaps increase its dominance in Russia's lower house, State Duma, in the parliamentary election Sunday.

United Russia, led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a loyalist of President Vladimir Putting, has 238 of 450 Duma seats and dominates the more than 80 regional parliaments.

FILE - Russian lawmakers attend a session of the lower house of the State Duma in Moscow, Russia.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) sent over 400 observers to Russia to monitor the election, more than double compared to 2011 when the OSCE sent 215 to monitor the parliamentary poll.

Analysts say the voting will likely be a referendum on Putin's expected 2018 presidential run for re-election.

Putin and United Russia are riding a wave of nationalist support over Crimea and ongoing military actions, with state-run media ignoring critics or branding them as traitors.

Kremlin supporters have so far valued what is seen as tough leadership more than concerns about which direction that authority is taking Russia.

Half of parliament will be decided by people voting for individuals, with the other half drawn from party lists. The last parliament was elected on party lists alone.

Election fairness

The perceived fairness of the election could be a critical factor in whether protests arise following the voting. Massive demonstrations broke out in Moscow after the last Duma election in 2011, challenging authorities with their size and persistence.

Complaints of election violations were already increasing Sunday as voting was proceeding across a country with approximately 110 million registered voters and 11 time zones.

People visit a polling station during a parliamentary election in Stavropol, Russia, Sept. 18, 2016.

Leader of Russian opposition People's Freedom party or PARNAS, Mikhail Kasyanov, says votes in parliamentary election expected to firm President Vladimir Putin's grip.

While casting his ballot, the leader of Russian opposition People's Freedom party or PARNAS Mikhail Kasyanov said he expected multiple cases of election fraud to be registered during the poll.

"This is not surprising although the authorities promised and swore it to be the most fair, the best election,” he said, “but it is not so, it is as we expected. Let's see what the level of fraud will be, I expect it to be high.”

The Interfax news agency quoted Ilya Shablinsky, a coordinator of observers for the presidential Council on Human Rights, saying that information about violations was coming constantly from various regions.

Election officials prepare ballots at a polling station ahead of parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 17, 2016.

An election monitoring group, Golos, also said it was receiving complaints of violations. A video posted on YouTube appeared to show a poll worker in the southern Rostov region dropping multiple sheets of paper into a ballot box.

Voting got under way at 2000 GMT Saturday on the Chukotka Peninsula opposite Alaska and will wrap up in Kaliningrad, Russia's most westerly point, where people can cast their vote until 1800 GMT Sunday.