The session opened on the morning of September 30, ten days after voting ended. The Central Election Commission certified the results on September 25; under Russian law, 30 days are allotted for a new parliament to convene, Radio Liberty reported.
Volodin received 406 votes, with his candidacy previously endorsed by Vladimir Putin. Dmitry Novikov of the Communist Party (KPRF) received 36 votes.
United Russia won 349 of the Duma's 450 seats, a historic record for the party, TV Rain noted. The four other factions — the KPRF, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), A Just Russia and New People — all support Putin's course and the war in Ukraine to varying degrees. No public critic of the war entered the Duma: the Yabloko party, which advocated a ceasefire and peace talks, was barred from the elections.
Some deputies represent regions of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed. According to official data, at least 46 Duma members are participants in the war.
Contrary to the Constitution, the plenary session was opened not by the oldest deputy, Vladimir Resin, but by the fourth-oldest, 79-year-old Yuri Petrov. Valentina Tereshkova and KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov are both older than him. The Duma said all of them agreed to cede to Petrov the right to chair the session.
At the session, representatives of all parties declared their support for the president and their readiness to do "everything for victory," according to Ostorozhno, Novosti. New People deputy Sardana Avksentyeva recalled campaign promises — 3% mortgages, higher pensions and social payments. According to her, there is "no money for these populist promises." Avksentyeva added that a "very difficult issue of raising utility tariffs" lies ahead, and that tariff increases must be commensurate with people's real incomes.