Putin's party wins majority in parliamentary elections (Third Lead)

Russian President Vladimir Putin's political party, United Russia, has won a majority in the country's parliamentary elections.

According to Russian state-run news agency Interfax, United Russia won with 54.21 per cent of the vote, with 90 per cent of all votes counted, CNN reported.

The Communist Party came second with 13.54 per cent, while the Liberal Democratic Party and the Fair Russia Party obtained 13.28 per cent and 6.19 per cent of the vote respectively, the poll showed.

Earlier, Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrived at the United Russia party campaign office, where the PM, who is also the chairman of Russia's ruling party, delivered a speech to party members and thanked the President, who is the party founder, for demonstrating support for the party by visiting the campaign office.

Medvedev also called the election results "a victory" for the party.

Russian people support political stability, Putin said as he visited the campaign office. "The situation is not easy and people see it - and they want the political system and society to remain stable," the President said, as quoted by TASS.

"Ordinary people know that empty promises are worth nothing," he added, commenting on preliminary election results and stressing that United Russia will continue its work aimed at Russia's development.

In Russia, each person over the age of 18 is eligible to vote, except for prisoners and legally incapable persons. The total number of Russian voters amounts to 111.6 million with about two million of them living abroad.

Voter turnout in Russia's previous parliamentary elections in 2011 amounted to 60.2 per cent.

--IANS

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