According to official results published on Monday, candidates from Russia’s ruling United Russia party won convincingly in the regional governor elections held across 21 regions, reports dpa.
United Russia candidates secured overwhelming majorities in all races. The weakest result was registered by Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, who garnered around 60% of the vote, based on preliminary counts.
Beglov’s unpopularity stems from criticism over his management of the city. Independent observers have complained about significant interference in the administration of Saint Petersburg, the hometown of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In other regions, United Russia candidates performed much stronger. For example, Igor Babushkin received 78.17% of the vote in the Astrakhan region, while Vladimir Vladimirov won with 79.61% in the Stavropol region.
In the Kursk region, which is partially occupied by Ukrainian forces, interim Governor Alexander Smirnov secured 65% of the vote. Special polling stations were set up in the region to accommodate around 120,000 refugees.
The elections, which also included several regional parliamentary seats, were held from Friday to Sunday and were viewed as a barometer of public sentiment towards the Kremlin’s leadership after more than two years of war against Ukraine.
