Elections-2026 in Karelia were held

Violations that may affect their results were not revealed during the three days of voting. This was announced today in the center of public observation of the elections by the Chairman of the Election Commission of Karelia Alexey Bakhilin.

As noted by Alexey Bakhilin, no serious violations were identified, decisions were made on all.

- We see voter turnout: at 18 hours, the turnout was 39%. This is more than in the previous election. 87% of voters who decided to vote remotely used this right, the chairman of the election commission said. Kalevalsky, Pryazhinsky, Olonets districts showed a high turnout. A significant role in the turnout was played by the activity of candidates for deputies who conducted campaigning activities within the framework of the current legislation. At a high level, work was organized at polling stations for military personnel. Accessible voting conditions were ensured for all our participants in the SVO, as well as military personnel in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. Security measures are in place. Member of the Public Chamber of Russia from the Republic of Karelia, Deputy Chairman of the Public Chamber of the region, well-known search engine, observer of the center Ilya Gerasev noted that for three days the elections were held under public supervision.

“The procedure was completely open, each observer could at any time record violations, if they were, and promptly respond to them,” said Ilya Gerasev. Representatives of public organizations and associations, political parties, trade unions, residents who expressed a desire to observe the electoral process in advance worked in the center. Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Karelia Dmitry Egorov said that on the eve of the elections, all 127 polling stations in Petrozavodsk were checked, including for their accessibility for citizens with disabilities.

- During the three days of voting, I visited 9 polling stations, checked the voting process in the pre-trial detention center, the Veterans’ House, the Comprehensive Center for Social Services of the Population. No violations were identified, no complaints were received. Voter activity was high. 1,200 observers of the public observation center worked at 460 polling stations in Karelia. 233 sites were equipped with a live video broadcast system, the rest were videotaped. The centre has completed its work.