Moscow:
Early results in Russia's local elections indicate President Vladimir Putin's loyalists are winning most races, as an independent observers say the vote is marred by widespread fraud.
The Central Election Commission's results on Monday showed Kremlin-backed candidates and incumbent governors sweeping the Sunday vote.
Observers from the independent monitoring organisation Golos recorded over a thousand violations nationwide, including voter roll irregularities and multiple voting.
An award-winning environmentalist and opposition leader Yevgeniya Chirikova came in second with 18 percent in the mayoral election in Moscow's suburb of Khimki against Kremlin-backed Oleg Shakhov who got 48 percent, early results show.
The Central Election Commission's results on Monday showed Kremlin-backed candidates and incumbent governors sweeping the Sunday vote.
Observers from the independent monitoring organisation Golos recorded over a thousand violations nationwide, including voter roll irregularities and multiple voting.
An award-winning environmentalist and opposition leader Yevgeniya Chirikova came in second with 18 percent in the mayoral election in Moscow's suburb of Khimki against Kremlin-backed Oleg Shakhov who got 48 percent, early results show.
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