MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. Foreign observers saw nothing during the presidential election in Russia that would lead them to question the outcome, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"Numerous international observers monitored the process of the people expressing their will in Russia, including in Donbass and Novorossia. They reported no violations that could influence the final result," he said at a meeting of the ruling United Russia party’s commission on international cooperation and support for compatriots abroad.
"The Central Election Commission (CEC) accredited more than 1,500 observers from nearly 120 countries and 14 international organizations," said Lavrov, who chairs the party commission. "[Russian President] Vladimir Putin’s convincing victory, with more than 80% of the popular vote, found wide resonance in countries of the global majority - in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Dozens of foreign leaders from these countries personally congratulated the Russian president on his re-election."
Presidential poll results
The presidential election in Russia was held from March 15 through 17. According to the CEC official data, Putin won 87.28% of the vote. The election boasted the highest-ever voter turnout in Russia’s history - 77.44%.
Putin was followed by Nikolay Kharitonov, nominated by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, or CPRF (4.31%), Vladislav Davankov, the New People party’s nominee (3.85%), and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) Leonid Slutsky (3.2%).
Under Russian law, the president elect takes office six years after the office term of the previous president began. Putin was inaugurated to his current office term on May 7, 2018.