A Just Russia enters State Duma after Central Election Commission cited a 'big chance'

The party had been below the threshold at 4.96% after 94.95% of protocols were counted, Meduza reported, citing Central Election Commission data. The commission later announced the party had cleared the 5% barrier after processing 96.91% of protocols.

Hours before that announcement, Central Election Commission head Ella Pamfilova said the party had "still a big chance" to clear the barrier. A source told Agentstvo that Kremlin domestic policy curator Sergei Kiriyenko opposed keeping the party in the new State Duma.

A Just Russia was created by the Kremlin in 2006 through the merger of Rodina, the Party of Pensioners and the Party of Life, primarily to siphon votes from the Communist Party. Unlike the Communists, the party never positioned itself as an opposition force and always served as a second "party of power," Current Time noted.

In its first election in 2007, A Just Russia won 7.74%. Amid discontent over Putin's "reset" of term limits in 2011, its rating rose to 13.25%, then fell again. In 2016 it won 6.22% of the vote, and in 2021, 7.46%.

In recent years the party has focused almost entirely on anti-migrant rhetoric. It initiated a bill that would bar labor migrants from bringing their families to Russia and effectively allow work only on a rotational basis. After revisions, the bill was passed by the State Duma with United Russia's support and formed the basis of Russia's new migration policy concept.

Party leader Sergei Mironov proposed housing migrants who arrive in Russia outside cities. The party backed anti-migrant raids on dormitories, sports clubs and cafes, including those conducted by nationalists from the Russian Community. After the war with Ukraine began, Mironov and his wife were involved in the illegal removal of children from Ukraine, in particular residents of the Kherson Regional Children's Home.

According to Agentstvo, an early signal of a planned "dumping" of the party may have been that Mironov did not appear in public during the final month of the election campaign. His last public appearance was on August 21 in the Altai region.

Maxim Glikin, editor-in-chief of the Mozhem Obyasnit project, told Current Time that no one is interested in the party. According to him, "there are no people who would stand up for it, who would pull it." He also noted that the Communist Party showed strong exit poll results but was ultimately "let go significantly," while United Russia was "lifted up." "New people," he said, were "pushed aside," and the Liberal Democratic Party was moved up.

According to Meduza, United Russia is winning 57.83% of the vote on the federal list, the Communist Party 13.81%, the Liberal Democratic Party 8.97%, and New People 7.06%. United Russia candidates lead in 209 of 225 single-mandate districts. The Communist Party receives five mandates, A Just Russia and self-nominated candidates four each, the Liberal Democratic Party two, and Rodina one.