As I write this on Sunday night, September 20th (EDT), the three-day Parliamentary elections in Russia have ended. With some 58 percent of the precincts counted, according to Russia’s Central Election Commission, well over half of the votes for the 225 party-aligned seats have gone to . . . drumroll, please . . . Putin’s United Russia party.

The remaining 225 deputies will be chosen in single-seat races, and . . .

Oh, let’s just skip the drumroll this time. We know what’s going to happen to those votes as well.

Reports are that the turnout was a little under 57% of the 111 million eligible voters. [Associated Press, September 20, 2026.] And the “eligible” list this year included people from the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine — a controversial move, at best.

Also working in favor of United Russia was the earlier disqualification of the liberal Yabloko party — the only serious opposition — by Russia’s Supreme Court.

No one is ever surprised at the outcome of elections in Russia; this is the way they’ve always been run, with the possible exception of a few years following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Things operate differently here in the United States — much to the chagrin of Donald Trump and his radical right-wing followers. Their attempts at fixing the vote in their favor in the upcoming midterms have been hampered by the courts; so it appears that they’ll have to resort instead to a replay of 2020’s post-election shenanigans to try to have the results reversed if Democrats succeed in winning a majority in the House of Representatives and/or the Senate.

And have no doubt — they will try every dirty trick they can think of.

Trump fervently wishes he could be a strongman — a dictator — like Putin. Unfortunately — for him — he can only play one on social media.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/21/26