Putin emerges victorious in Russian elections

Russian voters overwhelmingly endorsed Vladimir V Putin's bid for a six-year term as president yesterday, an outcome that was widely expected even as it set the stage for a far more suspenseful post-election confrontation between the freshly confirmed leader and an opposition movement that is capable of bringing tens of thousands of protesters on the streets.

Though there were people who celebrated Putin's victory in Moscow, some opposition leaders have called foul and called for protests.

With 80 per cent of ballots counted, Putin had won 64.7 per cent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission. This is comfortably above the 50 per cent needed to avoid a runoff and extending his claim on power to 18 years, which would equal the rule of Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader for much of the cold war. ''We have won!'' Putin, tears running down his right cheek, announced to thousands of his supporters gathered at Manezh Square, just outside the Kremlin walls.

''We have gained a clean victory!'' he said, as he stood next to Dmitri A Medvedev, his protégé for succeeding him as president. Medvedev was chosen just over four years ago, and now, in a job swap, has been promised the post of prime minister. ''We won!'' Putin said. ''Glory to Russia!''

Amid allegations of voting fraud, a number of opposition leaders called for demonstrations exceeding those allowed under government rules, which would likely invite a sharp response from the authorities and undercutting Putin's promise of stability.

''This is not an election; it's a shame,'' Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front, a radical socialist group, posted on Twitter. ''Once again they spat in our face. Tomorrow we go to the streets!''