FACTBOX: The runners in Russia's parliamentary vote

(Reuters) - Russia was voting in a parliamentary election on Sunday that is expected to hand an overwhelming victory to President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

Here are the main parties competing in the election:

UNITED RUSSIA

Leader: Boris Gryzlov, speaker of lower house of parliament

Opinion poll rating: 60.1 percent

Election slogan: "For Putin! For United Russia!"

United Russia is the giant of Russian politics: it already dominates parliament, is the most popular in the opinion polls and has more cash than any other party. It received a boost when President Vladimir Putin said he would head its party list.

Rivals say United Russia benefits unfairly from its ties to the Kremlin. It has favorable coverage on Russian television while many ministers and regional governors are members.

Its manifesto is a compilation of Putin's speeches. Analysts say Putin is using the party to drive home his popularity and ensure he keeps a central role after he steps down as president.

COMMUNIST PARTY

Leader: Gennady Zyuganov

Opinion poll rating: 7.4 percent

Election slogan: "There is such a party!"

The heir of the party that ran the Soviet Union for nearly 80 years, the Communist party is Russia's biggest opposition force. Portraits of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin still hang in party offices. The party calls for higher pensions and wages and a greater role for the state in the economy.

It is now casting itself as the only hope to challenge a United Russia stranglehold on parliament. Its critics say the Communists are content to be in parliament without ever seriously challenging the Kremlin's power.

LDPR