Russia holds first election since invading Ukraine | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Russia is holding its first parliamentary election since its invasion of Ukraine. The vote comes as the Kremlin wants to demonstrate public support for the ongoing military campaign. But one opposition party that has criticized the conflict has been kept off the ballot.

The election takes place every five years, and the voting will last three days. Candidates are competing for 450 seats in the lower house, known as the State Duma. Half are filled by party lists and the other half are single-seat races. Officials will start counting ballots on Sunday.

Russian media is reporting that political parties, including the ruling United Russia party, have put forward more than 180 candidates who have served in Ukraine.

However, the Supreme Court removed the opposition party Yabloko from the nationwide party list last month.

The head of its Moscow branch, Kirill Goncharov, told NHK that Russian President Vladimir Putin "fears anti-war groups."

He said, "We expected this would happen sooner or later. That's because we are the only party in Russia that opposes the war and calls for a ceasefire."

He said that Yabloko candidates are still running in district races, and he vowed to keep campaigning against the Putin administration.