Russia's ruling United Russia party holds a decisive advantage in the country's State Duma elections, according to preliminary results reported Monday by chinanews.com.cn. The Chinese state news outlet said the early count gives the party an absolute edge over its competitors.
The Central Election Commission of Russia also reported the governing party leading in the parliamentary vote, according to news.cctv.com. An exit poll cited by China Daily showed United Russia ahead in the same contest.
President Vladimir Putin had urged voters to turn out in large numbers, phoenix.com reported, as balloting got under way.
Coverage from Chinese outlets also pointed to claims of Ukrainian interference in the election. Zhonghua Net reported that Moscow vowed retaliation over the alleged disruption and framed the vote as a moment for the country to stand together against outside pressure. CYBEV.io could not independently verify those claims, which were attributed to the Chinese outlet.
The State Duma is the lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly. The preliminary figures described in the reports indicate the pro-Kremlin party is on course to retain its dominant position in the legislature.
What to watch next: final certified results from Russia's Central Election Commission, which will confirm the seat distribution and turnout figures once counting is complete.