VIENTIANE: A polling station opened in Vientiane on Sunday (Sept 20) to give Russian citizens in Laos an opportunity to vote in the State Duma election. (The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly, Russia's national parliament.)
Polling station No. 8191 opened at 8am at the Russian Embassy, enabling Russian citizens to vote in the election of deputies to the 9th State Duma.
The Russian Ambassador to Laos, Sergey Vladimirovich Zhestkii, said the voting was part of Russia’s Single Voting Day, when citizens elect members of the State Duma as well as representatives at regional and municipal levels.
“Today in Russia is the Single Voting Day,” he said. “Our country elects deputies to the 9th State Duma, legislative assemblies and heads of a number of regions, municipal authorities.”
The election covers all 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly. According to RT News, 225 deputies are elected through federal Party lists, while another 225 are elected in single-member constituencies.
The State Duma is elected for a five-year term and plays a central role in Russia’s federal legislative process. The 2026 parliamentary election took place from September 18-20 alongside more than 2,200 regional and municipal electoral campaigns, according to RT News.
RT News reported that Russian citizens abroad can vote at 333 polling stations in 152 countries, with most overseas polling stations operating on Sunday.
For Russians in Laos, the polling station was an opportunity to take part in the election while abroad. The embassy serves not only Russian diplomatic personnel and their families, but also Russian citizens visiting Laos for tourism or business.
More than 90,000 Russian citizens visited Laos during the first half of 2026, according to the ambassador, meaning a significant number could be in Laos when voting takes place.
“There are also those who come to your country for tourism and business,” Zhestkii said. “For instance, more than 90,000 Russian citizens visited Laos during the first half of 2026.”
He said Russian citizens currently in Laos could visit the polling station at the embassy in Vientiane and cast their votes.
“Quite a few Russian citizens are abroad,” the ambassador said. “The primary task of Russian embassies and consulates-general in foreign countries is to ensure that these people can exercise their constitutional right to vote.”
Russians currently living in Laos are mostly employees of Russian representative offices and their family members, as well as tourists and business travellers, he said.
The ambassador thanked Lao authorities for helping to ensure security and public order during the voting process.
“I would like to express special gratitude to the leadership of Laos, including the Ministry of Public Security of the Lao PDR, for the invaluable assistance provided in ensuring security and public order during the elections held on Lao soil,” he said.
Zhestkii said Russian representatives felt safe in Laos and described the country as a friendly place for Russian citizens.
“Of course, we always feel safe and among true friends in your country,” he said, adding that support from Laos was particularly important in what he described as “today’s turbulent world”.
The voting at the Russian Embassy enabled Russian citizens in Laos to participate in the electoral process while they are away from home, linking the country’s domestic election with the growing movement of people between Russia and Laos. - Vientiane Times/ANN
