Moscow, Sept. 9, (dpa/GNA) – Candidates from Russia’s ruling party have swept the board in the nationwide elections for provincial governors, according to official results published on Monday.
United Russia’s candidates secured large majorities in all 21 contests. The governor of the northern city of St Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, performed the worst, with preliminary results suggesting he has won just under 60% of the vote.
Beglov is considered unpopular due to his mismanagement of St Petersburg’s administration. Independent observers complained of a high degree of interference in the city, which is President Vladimir Putin’s home town. The official count in St. Petersburg was still under way on Monday.
In other regions, United Russia incumbents were said to have won around 80% of the vote, with – for example – Igor Babushkin getting 78.17% in the Astrakhan region, and Vladimir Vladimirov 79.61% in Stavropol.
In the Kursk region, which is partially occupied by Ukrainian troops, the provisional governor Alexander Smirnov’s total was 65%. Special polling stations had been set up for around 120,000 refugees from the embattled region.
Voting took place across Russia from Friday to Sunday, and several regional parliaments were also elected. The ballot was seen as a test of the mood among the population for the leadership in Moscow, after two and a half years of war against Ukraine.