Vladimir Putin Wins Fourth Term As Russian President With Record Margin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to lead Russia for six more years after achieving a landslide victory in the presidential elections, the results of which were announced today (19 March).

Amidst several accusations of voting frauds, Putin has won 76 per cent of the vote, 12 per cent greater than his vote share in 2012, as reported by BBC.

The nearest competitor, millionaire communist Pavel Grudinin polled 12 per cent of the votes with celebrity candidate Ksenia Sobchak unable to manage even two per cent.

Putin’s primary opposition, Alexei Navalny was however barred from the polls following an embezzlement case against him, which he has contested.

Addressing a rally in Moscow, following the victory, Putin said that the voters "recognised the achievements of the last few years."

"The percentage that we have just seen speaks for itself. It's a mandate which Putin needs for future decisions, and he has a lot of them to make," a spokesperson for Putin’s campaign team said.

However, the polls saw several incidences of voting fraud surface on social media.

Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Electoral Commission however said that there were no serious violations, promising action against those involved in the recorded incidents.