Currently, eleven parties are completing for the seats in the lower house called the Duma. Only seven percent of votes are required to qualify for a seat in the lower house. The government has been accused by opposition parties of stifling their campaigns and acts of intimidation. Independent monitors have also claimed that their attempts to observe polls have been hampered.
After accusing the Russian government of imposing unacceptable restrictions and purposely delaying the issuing of visas, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has abandoned plans to send a big group of election observers to the country. But the government has denied the claims.
As a result, only four-hundred foreign monitors will tend to about ninety-five thousand polling stations. United Russia is the largest part in the Duma going into the general elections. The party hopes to maintain its dominance against the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Yabloko Party, and other parties.
At the top of the list of United Russia is current Russian President Vladimir Putin. If United Russia maintains dominance, Putin could still keep a hold of power after stepping down from his position as president the next year.
For the duration of the election, the media is barred from referring to parties, politicians, policies, or polls.