With 74% of Vote Putin Wins Presidential Election

Vladimir Putin is set to extend his power in Russia for more six years after winning Sunday’s presidential election with a decisive 73.9% of the vote, a state-run exit poll shows.
His fourth term as president will extend until 2024, making him the first Kremlin leader to serve two decades in power since Josef Stalin.
Exit polls are not final, and official results are gradually being released. An official win of more than 73% of the vote would be a major boost to Putin, who already enjoys sweeping powers over his country.
Russians had option to choose of eight candidates, including the Communist Pavel Grudinin, whose title to a former state fruit farm has made him a millionaire, and Ksenia Sobchak, the daughter of Putin’s political mentor, who presented a liberal programme.
Turnout, which was seen as a measure of the Kremlin’s legitimacy in this uncompetitive campaign, was close to 60% as of 9pm GMT. The Kremlin had hoped to match the 65% who cast votes in 2012 and had initially sought 70% turnout.
“Thank you for your support,” Putin told crowds on Manezhnaya Square just under the Kremlin walls, wearing a black down jacket with a fur hood. “Everyone who voted today is part of our big, national team.”
Putin has dominated Russian politics for 18 years and was already longest-serving leader of the country since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
> Shiuly Akter