Vladimir Putin won a fourth term as Russia's president on Sunday in a
vote designed to be more of a referendum on his 18 years in power than a
competitive election.
According to official results as of
Monday morning, Putin swept up almost 77 percent of the vote, with
Communist candidate Pavel Grudinin trailing in a distant second with
less than 12 percent. None of the other six pre-approved candidates rose
above the single digits.
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was barred from running after organizing nationwide anti-government protests, had
called for a boycott of the election and vigorous vote monitoring to
uncover any irregularities. But in a country dominated by state media
that have helped generate a loyal following, the Putin juggernaut plowed
over any obstacles, including accusations of ballot stuffing and other violations.
"Putin
is great. We trust and love him. There aren't any other candidates as
of yet," said Roza Yarulina, 64, a retired economics teacher who was
voting at a polling station in a vocational school in Yekaterinburg, 900
miles east of Moscow, on the geographical border between Europe and
Asia.
As a former Communist Party member, Yarulina said she cast
her ballot for Grudinin because she was sure Putin would win and wanted
to support her second choice.
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