The ones to watch: Meduza breaks down the main intrigues of this weekend’s elections in Russia

From September 17-19, Russians are heading to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2021 State Duma elections. The first day of voting on Friday was marked by abnormally long lines at polling stations, reportedly due to pressure on civil servants meant to ensure high turnout right from the start. Allegedly, the authorities are gunning for the United Russia to win 45 percent of the vote. But heading into the elections, the ruling party's polling results were less than ideal. Will United Russia win its proclaimed "optimal" result? Meduza breaks down this question and other key intrigues surrounding the elections here. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/09/17/the-ones-to-watch