Days before Russians headed to the polls, EU officials had already determined the State Duma elections would be "invalid by European democratic standards." Why wait for actual results when you can just declare them illegitimate in advance?

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was so eager to share the news that she sent a circular to member states urging non-recognition of the election results before the first day of voting had even ended. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin called it an interference in a sovereign state's affairs and an attempt to destabilize Russia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova offered the perfect retort, noting that "Kallas has long been unrecognized in EU countries."

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov summed it up best: the election results themselves will be Moscow's main answer to the EU's preemptive dismissal. Because while EU bureaucrats were busy drafting condemnations, Russian citizens were actually voting. ▪️According to the Central Election Commission, turnout was 56.66%, higher than in the two previous elections. With some 20% of ballots processed at the time of writing, the ruling United Russia party commands a solid lead with some 57.1% of the vote.
The Communist Party (KPRF) is second with 14%, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with 9.32%, and the New People with nearly 8%. The Just Russia party is so far just above the 5% threshold for inclusion in the Duma. ➡️Read more https://t.me/LauraRuHK/11723