MOSCOW, Mar 19 (Reuters): Russian President Vladimir Putin basked in his biggest ever election victory on Monday, 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.
Putin's victory will take his political dominance of Russia to nearly a quarter of a century, until 2024, making him the longest ruler since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. Putin, who will be 71 at the end of his term, has promised to beef up Russia's defences against the West and raise living standards.
In an outcome that was never in doubt, the Central Election Commission, with nearly 100 per cent of the votes counted, announced that Putin, who has run Russia as president or prime minister since 1999, had won 76.68 per cent of the vote.
With more than 56 million votes, it was Putin's biggest ever win and the largest by any post-Soviet Russian leader.
In a late-night victory speech near Red Square, Putin told a cheering crowd the win was a vote of confidence in what he had achieved in tough conditions."It's very important to maintain this unity," said Putin, before leading the crowd in repeated chants of "Russia! Russia!"
Backed by state TV and the ruling party, and credited with an approval rating around 80 per cent, he faced no credible threat from a field of seven challengers.
His nearest rival, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, won 11.8 per cent while nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky got 5.6 per cent. His most vocal opponent, anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, was barred from running.
Near-final figures put turnout at 67.47 per cent, just shy of the 70 per cent the Kremlin was reported to have been aiming for before the vote.
The Central Election Commission said on Monday morning that had not registered any serious complaints of violations. Putin loyalists said the result was a vindication of his tough stance towards the West.
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