Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to check election results in several regions, including Daghestan and Ingushetia. According to official figures, the Communist Party received 2.45% of the vote in Daghestan and 2.98% in Ingushetia in the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian Parliament) elections. Zyuganov said he doubted the accuracy of these figures and proposed setting up a special commission.

‘I worked in the Caucasus for 10 years, I know the Caucasus as well as my own region [Oryol]. In Daghestan, I used to get up to 70–80% of the vote. I walked from Derbent to Buynaksk. I don’t understand why they wrote 2.4% for us there. So this needs to be looked into. Let’s set up a commission together with the factions and look into it, because there is no such sentiment there and there never will be’, Zyuganov said at a meeting with Putin on Monday.

Putin agreed to a review of the results.

‘As for checking the election results in individual regions, I agree, everything needs to be checked’, the Russian President said.

He also said that Central Election Commission (CEC) head Ella Pamfilova had told him that the Communist Party had not filed any official complaints. Putin added that if there were doubts, the results could be examined by a specially established commission or through other mechanisms.

Zyuganov did not publicly cite specific violations in Daghestan or Ingushetia. However, speaking at the CEC on 25 September, he described the results in the North Caucasus as ‘beyond any framework’ and said they did not correspond to the President’s stated aim of ensuring elections that citizens could trust.

Speaking about Daghestan, he said that ‘the result written in the protocols could never be’ the actual result, referring to the Communist Party’s 2.45%. On Ingushetia, he said: ‘In Ingushetia, it’s even worse. I won’t elaborate.’

The Daghestan and Ingushetia election commissions declared the elections valid. The Daghestan election commission said it had received no complaints about possible violations.

According to the final figures from the Daghestan election commission, turnout in the 18–20 September State Duma elections was 91.69% — United Russia received 92.22% of the vote, A Just Russia 2.69%, the Communist Party 2.45%, and the Liberal Democratic Party 1.45%.

At the same time, the Communist Party performed significantly better in elections to Daghestan’s Parliament, receiving 10.99%. United Russia received 74% and A Just Russia 11.99%. The Communist Party won 10 of the 90 seats in the regional parliament.

In the 2021 State Duma elections, the Communist Party  received a larger share of the vote in Daghestan than in 2026. According to the regional election commission, it received 6.2%, while United Russia received 81%.

Observers from the Daghestan Observers movement reported significant discrepancies between official turnout figures and their estimates at individual polling stations and accused the authorities of inflating turnout and manipulating the results.

In 2023, the Communist Party’s results in municipal elections in Daghestan also varied considerably between different areas. For example, the party received 23.7% in Izberbash, 14.5% in Khasavyurt, 9.1% in Kizilyurt and 8% in Derbent.

In Ingushetia, the gap was even more pronounced. According to the regional election commission, United Russia received 90.44% of the vote in the State Duma elections, the Communist Party 2.98% and New People 2.81%. Turnout exceeded 91%.

Communist Party candidate Khamzat Kodzoev received 10.88% in the Ingush single-member constituency No. 16, coming second behind United Russia candidate Muslim Tatriev, who received 81.99 %.

In the September 2026 elections to Ingushetia’s Parliament, the Communist Party received 2.52% and failed to secure any seats. United Russia received 80.84%, A Just Russia 5.49%, the Liberal Democratic Party 5.24%, and New People 5.05%.

By comparison, in the 2021 elections to Ingushetia’s local parliament, the Communist Party received 4.16% and also failed to clear the 5% threshold. United Russia, A Just Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party won seats in the parliament.