Politics Ledger · Eurasia
Russia
Electoral autocracySemi-presidential republicFederalState ideology: Officially non-ideological; in practice state-led conservative nationalism ("traditional spiritual and moral values").
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Russia parliamentary seats — snapshot dated Elected 18-20 September 2026 (6y 2mo ago). Curated data may lag the live series. View data sources.
In charge
Vladimir Putin
President
Time in power
14.5 yrs
since 2012
Government seats
78%
majority
Next national vote
2030-03
Presidential
Governance score
13/100
composite of five indices
Russia's political history is dominated by strong central power: tsarist autocracy, Soviet communism, a chaotic 1990s democratic experiment, and Putin's consolidation of a personalist, increasingly repressive regime at war with Ukraine.
Leadership
Who Governs Russia
Head of state
Holds executive powerVladimir Putin
President · Independent (United Russia-backed)
Since 7 May 2012 · 14.5 years
Age 74 (born 1952)ManRoute to power: won a popular election
Head of government
Mikhail Mishustin
Prime Minister
Since 16 January 2020 · 6.8 years
Age 60 (born 1966)ManRoute to power: appointed
Ruling coalition
United Russia supermajority; "systemic opposition" parties vote with the Kremlin on key issues
Main opposition
Non-systemic opposition is banned, jailed or in exile; KPRF is the largest licensed opposition
Last national election
20 September 2026
State Duma
United Russia won 349 of 450 seats on an official 59.8% turnout; independent monitors reported pervasive irregularities and online voting manipulation.
Next national election
By March 2030
Presidential
Putin has led Russia as president or prime minister since 1999.
Recent changes (last 12 months)
Parliament
State Duma
Seat distribution (Elected 18-20 September 2026), ordered from economic left to right.
| Party | Ideology | Seats | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Russia (ER) | Putinism, Statism, Conservatism | 349 | governing |
| Communist Party (KPRF) | Communism, Russian nationalism | 37 | opposition |
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) | Russian nationalism | 23 | opposition |
| New People (NL) | Liberal conservatism | 19 | opposition |
| A Just Russia - For Truth (SRZP) | Social conservatism | 17 | opposition |
| Others and independents (OTH) | Various | 5 | opposition |
Ideology
Party Landscape
Each party placed on economic and social axes, sized by seats.
Institutions
The System
- Official name
- Russian Federation
- Capital
- Moscow
- Population
- 144 million
- Statehood
- Kievan Rus 9th c.; Muscovite tsardom 1547; USSR 1922; Russian Federation 1991; Constitution 1993 (amended 2020)
- System
- Semi-presidential republic
- Structure
- Federal
- Current constitution
- 1993
- Legislature
- Federal Assembly
- Lower / sole chamber
- State Duma (450 seats)
- Upper chamber
- Federation Council (appointed regional representatives)
- Electoral system
- Mixed: 225 list-PR seats (5% threshold) and 225 single-member districts.
- Term limits
- Two six-year terms, with Putin's prior terms reset by the 2020 amendments (eligible until 2036).
Sources
- Central Election Commission of Russia
- Golos
- Reuters, Sept 2026
- EIU Democracy Index 2024; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2025; RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025; Transparency International CPI 2024; IPU Parline, 2026; V-Dem v15 Liberal Democracy Index (approximate five-year readings)
Last verified 2026-10-29. Party placements are editorial estimates.
Data as of 2026-10-29.