Russian President Vladimir Putin wins polls by a landslide

The Russian Presidential elections were held recently, with a major turnout of voters. So who will win when the results are announced?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has won a landslide re-election victory, extending his rule over the world’s largest country for another six years at a time when his ties with the West are on a hostile trajectory.

The vote was tainted by widespread reports of ballot-box stuffing and forced voting, but the complaints will likely do little to undermine Mr. Putin.

His thumping victory overnight will extend his total time in office to nearly a quarter of a century, until 2024, by which time he will be 71. Only Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ruled for longer.

Mr. Putin has promised to use his new term to beef-up Russia’s defenses against the West and to raise living standards.

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He addressed thousands of people who rallied outside the Kremlin to thank them for their support and promised new achievements. Speaking to a crowd who attended a pop concert near the Kremlin marking his election victory, Mr. Putin hailed those who voted for him as a “big national team,” adding that “we are bound for success.” He said that the nation needs unity to move forward and urged the audience to “think about the future of our great motherland.” He then led the enthusiastic crowd to chant “Russia!” 

Results from more than half of precincts showed Putin winning over 75% of the vote, with Communist candidate Pavel Grudinin and ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky trailing far behind with about 13 and 6%, respectively.

An exit poll by pollster VTsIOM showed Putin, who has already dominated the political landscape for the past 18 years, had won 73.9% of the vote. Backed by state TV, the ruling party, and credited with an approval rating around 80%, his victory was never in doubt. 
None of the seven candidates who ran against him posed a threat, and opposition leader Alexei Navalny was barred from running. 

Mr. Navalny, who oversaw a campaign for a vote boycott and sent over 33,000 observers across the country with manual counters to see how official turnout figures differ from those of monitors, said there had been “unprecedented violations”.

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His supporters and the non-governmental election monitor Golos reported ballot stuffing, repeat voting and Putin supporters being bussed into polling stations en masse.

Critics alleged that officials had compelled people to come to the polls to ensure that voter boredom at the one-sided contest did not lead to a low turnout.

Russia’s Central Election Commission recognized that there were some irregularities but was likely to dismiss wider criticism and declare the overall result legitimate.

Putin loyalists said the result was a vindication of his tough stance towards the West.

“I think that in the United States and Britain they’ve understood they cannot influence our elections,” Igor Morozov, a member of the upper house of parliament, said on state television. “Our citizens understand what sort of situation Russian finds itself in today.”