Russia Elects Its New Parliament

Russians head to the polls on Friday for parliamentary elections, while president Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is polling at a near-historic low of just 30 percent, EUobserver reports.

However, the United Russia party is still expected to win, ahead of the Communist Party that gained support in the past years.

According to BBC, many candidates seen as anti-Putin are barred from running, including anyone associated with Alexander Navalny’s opposition movement. Some Kremlin opponents have been forced to leave Russia.

The big social media companies were also threatened with fines if they can be accused of meddling in the election.