Putin ahead in preliminary results of Russian presidential elections
Sunday, 26 March 2000 19:34
Preliminary results based on twelve per cent of the votes cast in Russia's presidential election put Acting President Vladimir Putin ahead on 45 per cent; short of an outright first-round win. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov is on about 31 per cent, according to the results announced by the Central Election Commission. Putin's share of the vote is expected to increase as counting progresses westwards across Russia but it is not yet clear whether he will clear the 50 per cent barrier to avoid a runoff.
His chances of a first-round victory will be lessened by voter apathy. The turnout was lower than during the last ballot in 1996, with 54 per cent of the electorate voting. Voting began at 8am today (7pm GMT yesterday) in the Far East and ended at 5pm GMT today in the western enclave of Kaliningrad. Voting also took place in Chechnya despite continued fighting. The Defence Ministry denied a report that around 2,000 rebel fighters had seized a town in the East of the territory as locals and soldiers cast their ballots.
Before casting his own vote in Moscow, Mr Putin refused to predict whether or not he would win on the first round by securing more than 50 per cent of the votes. The first exit polls, including one by the state broadcaster, have given him 50 per cent of the vote. Asked about his chances, he said: "In an election battle, one should always be confident of success." His main rival, opposition Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, who lost to Yeltsin in 1996, said he was confident of getting through to a second round.
