European Parliament declares Russian State Duma illegitimate

The European Parliament refused to recognise Russia’s newly elected State Duma as legitimate, describing September’s parliamentary elections as “neither free nor fair.”

The resolution, adopted on Thursday by 482 votes in favour, 41 against, and 39 abstentions, called on all EU member states to adopt a similar policy of non-recognition.

MEPs urged member states to refrain from any official contact with the newly constituted Duma and its members, and to oppose the participation of Russian representatives in interparliamentary assemblies.

According to parliament, the “fake ballot” was held in a climate of fear and against the backdrop of Moscow’s continued illegal war against Ukraine.

It said the elections offered no genuine alternative candidates, no free media, no credible observers and no political freedoms, with critics of Vladimir Putin’s regime having been imprisoned, murdered or forced into exile.

The resolution also condemned what it described as the long-standing and intentional destruction of the remaining elements of democracy in Russia.

Russia’s September elections

The elections, held between 18 and 20 September, were the first parliamentary elections in Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

On 21 September, preliminary results showed that Putin’s United Russia party had secured a record 355 seats in the 450-seat State Duma, surpassing its previous record from 2016.

The preliminary results were announced by electoral chief Ella Pamfilova, who also reported more than 1,000 waves of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeting Russia’s electoral infrastructure.

MEPs also condemned the holding of elections in parts of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia, as well as in Moldova’s Transnistrian region and the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia.

Parliament insisted that the elections held in occupied Ukrainian territories, and any legal or political consequences arising from them, must not be recognised.

Further sanctions against Russia

The resolution also called on EU member states to introduce further sanctions against individuals and entities involved in political persecution in Russia and the war against Ukraine.

These measures, parliament said, should target judges, prosecutors, officials of Russia’s federal financial monitoring service, and operatives involved in repression, including repression carried out beyond Russia’s borders.

MEPs also called for sanctions against members of Russia’s Central Election Commission and officials involved in organising staged elections in occupied parts of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.

Relations with Russia cannot be normalised without lasting peace

The European Parliament further insisted that relations between the EU and Russia “cannot be normalised” without a lasting peace in Ukraine.

It stressed that this must include the restoration of Ukraine’s full territorial integrity, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of prisoners of war and the return of forcibly deported Ukrainian children.

The resolution also demanded that Russia pay full reparations and compensation to Ukraine, and that those responsible for crimes committed against the country be held accountable.

MEPs further rejected the normalisation of Russian participation in international sporting and cultural events.

Finally, parliament called for continued support for Russian democratic forces speaking out against the war in Ukraine and Russia’s hybrid warfare against Europe.