The ruling parties in Russia and Germany have fared very differently after elections in the two countries.
In a widely predicted result, the ruling United Russia dominated the nation’s first parliamentary election since the Ukraine war started, according to early returns released on Monday.
With some 58 per cent of the precincts counted, United Russia had nearly 58 per cent of the vote for the 225 deputies apportioned by party lists, according to Russia’s Central Election Commission.
The tightly controlled balloting included residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began in February 2022.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a bruising electoral setback in two state elections on Sunday, in what he admitted was a “disaster” for his CDU party.
Projections by public broadcaster ARD indicated that Merz’s centre-right CDU came in with just 4.9 per cent in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – the lowest result since World War II for the party in any state.
The anti-migration, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party made significant gains.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaking in Berlin after his CDU party’s electoral drubbing. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber