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Russia's incumbent President Vladimir Putin has won a landslide re-election in the presidential poll, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on Monday.
"Vladimir Putin has been elected president of the Russian Federation," CEC chief Alexander Veshnyakov declared at a televised briefing.
Putin snatched 71.2 percent of the votes out of the 99 percent counted, leaving other five candidates far behind.
Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov took the second place with 13.7 percent of the votes, followed by nationalist Sergei Glazyev, 4.1 percent, Liberal candidate Irina Khakamada, 3.9 percent, and ultranationalist Oleg Malyshkin, 2 percent. Sergei Mironov, the pro-government upper house of parliament speaker, came in last place with 0.8 percent.
However, 3.5 percent of the voters cast their ballots against all candidates.
The presidential poll was officially launched Saturday in the country's Far East at 2000 GMT and wound up 22 hours later at 1800 GMT Sunday in the country's westernmost enclave of Kaliningrad.
Of all the 109 million eligible voters, 64.3 percent cast ballots in the election, exceeding the 50 percent mark needed to validate the poll.
Veshnyakov said final official outcome of the election will be announced on March 22-23.
Putin has claimed his victory in a televised press conference early on Monday morning, hours before the CEC officially proclaimed his reelection.
Presenting his first public speech since Sunday's election, Putin vowed in his election headquarters near Kremlin to work hard in his second four-year term and ensure democracy and a better-off life for the Russians.
He also promised to strengthen a multi-party system, the civic society and the freedom of the mass media.
Putin stressed the need to guarantee Russia's national interests, but ruled out the possibility of using any aggressive means for the purpose.
He said Russia will practice a peaceful and flexible foreign policy, and be a partner of both the West and Asia.
Putin said Russia would analyze the recent US criticism on the presidential election, noting that the US election system is imperfect.
Putin won his first term in 2000 with 52.5 percent of the vote, taking over from Boris Yeltsin.
During Putin's first tenure, Russia enjoyed relative political stability and a continuous economic growth. Putin has been the most popular politician in Russia with his voter approval rating hovering around 70 percent ahead of the election.
Shortly before Sunday's election, Putin surprised the country by reshuffling the cabinet and bringing the almost unknown Mikhail Fradkov to the post of prime minister.
Last December's parliamentary election has thoroughly changed the political structure in the federal legislature, with the pro-Putin United Russia Party gaining a two-thirds majority in the 450-seat State Duma, the lower house of the parliament.
Analysts said the development laid a solid foundation for Putin's re-election.
(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2004)
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