Communists and the 2026 State Duma Elections

RKMT in Russia 7 September 2026

The opposition camp in Russia and abroad is divided in its attitude toward the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, which will be held from September 18 to 20, 2026.

Some politicians propose voting for the strongest candidates in electoral districts and the strongest party lists in the regions. Their position boils down to depriving the "party in power" of its majority in the lower house of parliament. This, they claim, would ignite and/or fuel serious tensions between the legislative and executive branches of government, between parliament and the government and the president.

Another part of the opposition advocates a firm vote for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. This position boils down to either supporting a socially oriented program in Russia's domestic policy, or roughly the same as the first part, but without dispersing votes among multiple parties/single-mandate candidates.

The third part calls for voting for the relatively new New People party. Their position is similar to that of the previous part of the opposition movement, but with a focus on a more liberal party program.

The fourth opposition camp called for voting for the Yabloko party, and after their party lists were removed from the elections on trumped-up grounds by the authorities, they are calling for voting for their candidates in single-mandate constituencies. Yabloko supporters emphasize that they are the only party in the upcoming elections openly advocating for an immediate end to the war against Ukraine.

Individual socialist movements and organizations, adhering to their own class positions, stand apart. We'll examine them later.

Before we begin to examine all of the listed positions in essence, it is necessary to consider what these elections actually mean for the authorities and for the population of the country.

It's clear that the ruling class and the Bonarartist bureaucracy of the Russian state are using the upcoming elections as a means of legitimizing their rule. Roughly speaking, this event could be described as a "referendum on confidence in the current president and his policies." In fact, senior representatives of all the parties participating in the "referendum" are unofficially making this point, in one language or another. This primarily concerns their attitude toward the Russian-Ukrainian war. It's no coincidence that the only supposedly "anti-war" party was disqualified from the elections, and many of its representatives were subjected to repression. Candidates with strong foreign policy positions have been trampled, expelled, imprisoned, and threatened by security forces.

Even such a "pink", reformist-minded left-wing populist, a candidate for single-mandate constituencies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, who never once in his career expressed a negative attitude towards the "SVO", as Nikolai Bondarenko, was removed from the elections for the same far-fetched and effectively illegal reasons as the Yabloko party.

For the conscious segment of the working class, these elections may be the last platform for legal activism. The last chance to establish legal ties with the protest electorate. In semi-fascist Russia, legal grassroots politics has already been almost completely destroyed. After the September "referendum," it will be erased entirely.

Let us move on to examining the positions of opposition circles in relation to the elections of September 20, 2026, outlined at the very beginning:

Why not "Protest Vote"?
Firstly, all party lists and all candidates in single-mandate constituencies undergo meticulous vetting and censorship by state security agencies, making it extremely unlikely that truly progressive opposition candidates will appear on the ballot. However, this doesn't mean they don't exist. In single-mandate constituencies, candidates worthy of your support could slip onto your ballots from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and Yabloko. Such a candidate, for example, despite his controversial nature, could be Nikolai Bondarenko. In a paucity of fish, even a crayfish is a fish, as the old saying goes. Therefore, we urge everyone to carefully review all candidates in your single-mandate constituencies.

Secondly, according to long-standing Russian spiritual traditions, the so-called "bonds," all contradictions between the branches of government are resolved by tanks, deployed by the strongest against their rivals. Having resolved such contradictions quite recently—in 1993—Boris Yeltsin, who had appointed Vladimir Putin as his immediate successor, shelled the House of Soviets with tanks, thus establishing the super-presidential republic that remains in effect today. We're not suggesting that such contradictions should be avoided, that the parliament building shouldn't be a target for cannons. We're saying that such contradictions simply cannot arise under current conditions.

Why not the Communist Party of the Russian Federation?
As already stated, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) could indeed put progressive candidates on the ballot, potentially supporting left-leaning voters. However, we urge you not to support party lists. Firstly, by voting for a party's platform, you vote for and thus bear responsibility for all of its points, not just those you favor. In this case, a CPRF voter bears full responsibility for their demands for an escalation of the war against Ukraine, for the expansion of the "Russian world," for the militarization of the state, and for the mobilization planned for the fall. Secondly, as already stated, parties conduct and undergo thorough censorship of their candidates. The vast majority, if not all, of the candidates on the CPRF lists are, by and large, supporters of the regime and the war, perhaps despite a few nuances. A CPRF voter bears full responsibility for every deputy elected on these lists, not just those they favor. That's how list voting works, and nothing else.

Why not New People?
A few words will suffice here. First, the working class cannot support liberal programs in any form. Second, this party was created directly under the auspices and direction of the Presidential Administration. By voting for the New People party, the voter is choosing the Presidential Administration. It is completely subordinate to the current regime and is incapable of creating any contradictions within the system.

Why not Apple?
While putting forward "anti-war" demands, this party has not ceased to be cannibalistic and anti-communist. Ultra-liberals, "children of the 90s," cannot be politically supported by the conscious portion of the working class, despite the progressive part of their program. Here, Yabloko appears as the antithesis of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. While the Communist Party of the Russian Federation is socially oriented in its domestic policy and imperialist-oriented in its outward direction, Yabloko's anti-proletarian orientation in domestic policy completely negates the relative progressiveness of their pacifist demands. Despite the fact that the party has already been disqualified from the elections, we were obliged to state our position regarding it, as its very initial admission caused a furor among the opposition segment of the Russian population.

Fortunately, there are still grassroots socialist organizations, groups, and movements in the country that, using the class analysis method of dialectical materialism, have come to correct progressive conclusions regarding the current situation in general and the elections in particular.

These conclusions suggest that none of the parties represented on the ballot deserves our support. Why the other parties, not discussed above, don't deserve it doesn't need explanation. If a person possesses critical thinking abilities, this will be obvious. If a person is a Neanderthal, then explanation is even less necessary.

So what should you do then? You need to go to the polls. After all, if you don't show up, your vote will certainly be used against you. Rest assured, the Central Election Commission and the precinct election commissions are well-equipped with the necessary specialists. You must prevent this by showing up at the polling stations and exercising your right to vote, expressing your full opinion of the authorities directly on the ballot. Don't hold back on language and slogans, don't skimp on paper, and write down everything you think. Simply put, spoil the ballot.

But it's also worth noting that these elections represent the last opportunity for legal activism in the country. It's essential to monitor polling stations, to personally monitor the voting process, and this can and should be done through the party that attracts the largest protest electorate, the one closest in its political views to the revolutionary socialists. That is, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Establishing connections with representatives of this electorate is guaranteed. But caution is also essential. Polling stations will be filled with representatives of repressive structures. Watch your speech, what you say, don't give yourself away, and don't give anyone a reason to detain you. Preserving themselves and existing activist groups is now the most important and primary task for socialists.
https://rcitrussia.org

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