Putin wins Russia presidential election

Vladimir Putin is set to extend his power in Russia for another six years after winning the presidential election with a decisive 73.9% of the vote.

A state‑run exit poll shows Putin was widely expected to win his fourth term as President, with no meaningful opposition in the running and his fiercest opponent, Alexei Navalny, barred from the race.

The Communist Party's Pavel Grudinin was a distant second with 11.2% of the vote, according to the exit poll conducted by the state‑owned Russia Public Opinion Research Center.

Exit polls are not final and official results will be released later today. 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.

Source: CNN