Russians have voted in the country’s parliamentary election and the elections commission has announced early results on Sunday from a limited number of polling stations that show the country’s Kremlin-loyal United Russia party in the lead.

According to the results from nearly 9% of the country’s polling stations, the United Russia party has got 38% of the vote for the 225 deputies apportioned by party lists. Another 225 will be chosen by individual races.

The early results are still unclear on whether the United Russia party, which firmly supports President Vladimir Putin, will retain its two-thirds majority in parliament that allows it to change the constitution.

This election is widely seen as an important part of Putin’s efforts to cement his grip on power ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The control of the State Duma, or parliament, will be key in those efforts.

The vote this year has seen most opposition politicians and activists barred from running as Russian authorities unleashed a massive effort to suppress protests and dissent. Sunday’s vote was also marked by numerous reports of violations, including ballot-stuffing, inadequate security, and pressure on election monitors, according to the Associated Press.

By Sunday afternoon — the last of the three days of voting the government allowed this year, citing coronavirus concerns — voter turnout was only more than 40%.

Reports of violations from Russian media, opposition politicians, and election observers have been flowing since Friday morning when unexpectedly long lines formed at polling stations in Moscow and other cities.

Over the weekend, multiple videos of ballot-stuffing circled on social media. In some regions, incidents of “carousel voting” were reported — groups of voters casting ballots multiple times at different polling stations — as well as clashes between election monitors and poll workers.

Russia’s Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova confirmed at least eight incidents of ballot-stuffing in six Russian regions. In all, the commission has so far invalidated 7,465 ballots in 14 regions.

Ahead of the election, Putin expressed hope that the United Russia party retains its dominance in the parliament after the vote. The party currently holds 334 seats out of 450.

In the 2011 election, reports of mass vote rigging in Russia’s parliamentary elections triggered months of anti-government and anti-Putin protests.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)