Putin re-elects president; West rejects poll results

Vladimir Putin has won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, further tightening grip on power.

He said the victory showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine.

The former KGB lieutenant colonel said that the victory should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia.

The win will see Putin, who first rose to power in 1999, overtake Josef Stalin, becoming Russia’s longest serving leader for over 200 years.

According to results, Putin bagged 87.8 per cent of the vote, the highest ever in Russia’s post-Soviet history.

On the other hand, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other nations have rejected the results. They said the vote was neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship.

Nikolai Kharitonov, communist candidate finished second with just under 4 per cent while newcomer Vladislav Davankov third. Ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky stood fourth, according to partial results.