Early outcomes present that Putin received about 87 p.c of the vote, the very best outcome ever in Russia's post-Soviet historical past.
President Vladimir Putin is about to win a file post-Soviet victory in Russia's election, cementing his grip on energy, regardless of 1000’s of opponents staging a noon rally at polling stations.
Shortly after the final polls closed on Sunday, the primary returns indicated the conclusion that everybody anticipated: that Putin would lengthen his rule of virtually 1 / 4 of a century for six extra years.
In response to the Central Electoral Fee of Russia, he had about 87 p.c of the vote with about 60 p.c of the precincts counted. The outcome means Putin, 71, will surpass Josef Stalin and turn out to be Russia's longest-serving chief in additional than 200 years.
Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov got here second with just below 4 p.c, newcomer Vladislav Davankov third, and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky fourth, early outcomes instructed.
Nationwide turnout was 74.22 p.c when polls closed, election officers mentioned, surpassing 2018 ranges of 67.5 p.c.
For Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first got here to energy in 1999, the result’s meant to underscore to the West that its leaders have an emboldened Russia to reckon with, whether or not at battle or in peace, for a few years to come back. .
America mentioned the vote was neither free nor truthful.
“The election is clearly not free or truthful, given how Mr. Putin has jailed political opponents and prevented others from working in opposition to him,” the White Home Nationwide Safety Council spokesman mentioned. .
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned that “this electoral fraud has no legitimacy and can’t have.”
The election comes greater than two years after Putin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Europe's deadliest battle since World Battle II.
On Sunday, 1000’s of Putin's opponents demonstrated in opposition to him, though there was no impartial depend of what number of of Russia's 114 million voters took half within the demonstrations.
Supporters of Putin's most outstanding opponent, Alexey Navalny, who died in an Arctic jail final month, referred to as on Russians to come back out for a “Midday In opposition to Putin” rally.
Putin was first appointed as interim president when former Russian president Boris Yeltsin resigned. He then received his first presidential election in March 2000 and a second time period in 2004.
After two stints as president, Putin switched to being prime minister in 2008 to bypass a constitutional ban on serving greater than two consecutive phrases as head of state.
However he returned to the presidency in 2012, profitable a fourth time period in 2018.
