Putin wins another six years at Russia's helm in landslide victory

Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin (Front) votes at a polling station in Moscow, Russia, on March 18, 2018. (Photo:Xinhua)

In a widely expected outcome, the Central Election Commission, with just over 70 percent of the votes counted, announced that Putin, who has dominated the political landscape for the last 18 years, had won 75.9 percent of the vote.

In a victory speech near Red Square, Putin told a cheering crowd he interpreted the win as a vote of confidence in what he had achieved in tough conditions.

His nearest challenger, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, got around 13 percent, according to partial results, while nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky got around 6 percent.

According to the Central Election Commission, about 110 million Russian citizens are eligible to vote, among which some 1.88 million who live overseas can vote in Russian embassies and consulates.

Russia's Central Election Commission will confirm the election results by March 29./.

NDO/Xinhua,Reuters