Russian presidential election over, Putin leadsMarch 4, 2012 - 21:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A mixed crowd of politicians and media personalities welcomed an expected victory for Vladimir Putin Sunday, March 4 night in an upbeat event at his campaign headquarters in central Moscow, according to RIA Novosti. Applause filled the main hall as Elections Commissioner Vladimir Churov announced that Putin won close to 62 percent of the vote so far as ballots continue to be counted. Putin's nearest rival, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, took 17.7 percent, state pollster VTsIOM said. No other candidate has so far gained more than 10 percent. If he results of the exit polls are confirmed, Putin, 59, will be inaugurated as new president in May and will serve for six years, not four as previously. The elections took place to the backdrop of mass demonstrations that were triggered by allegations of vote fraud in favor of Putin's United Russia party at December's parliamentary polls. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. U.S. doesn’t see Russia as contributing to peace in Caucasus Patel made the remarks when asked about the implications of Russia’s withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh. Up to 1% cashback when shopping on Wildberries with IDBank cards IDBank is launching an exclusive campaign on Wildberries for online shopping enthusiasts. |