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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Medvedev 'heading for clear win' | Medvedev 'heading for clear win' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, is set to win Russia's presidential election by a wide margin, exit polls indicate. | Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, is set to win Russia's presidential election by a wide margin, exit polls indicate. |
| The state-owned pollster VTsIOM showed Mr Medvedev with 69.6% of the vote. | The state-owned pollster VTsIOM showed Mr Medvedev with 69.6% of the vote. |
| And early results, with 15% of votes counted, put him on 64.5%. His nearest rival was Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, on nearly 20%. | And early results, with 15% of votes counted, put him on 64.5%. His nearest rival was Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, on nearly 20%. |
| Mr Medvedev, a first deputy PM, was the clear favourite from the start and enjoyed generous television coverage. | Mr Medvedev, a first deputy PM, was the clear favourite from the start and enjoyed generous television coverage. |
| His other rivals in the race were nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and little-known outsider Andrei Bogdanov. | His other rivals in the race were nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and little-known outsider Andrei Bogdanov. |
| Mr Putin, who has been in office for eight years, was barred by the constitution from seeking a third term, but has pledged to serve as Mr Medvedev's prime minister. | |
| Turnout was high, at nearly 60%, officials said. But there were reports that many workers were told to vote by their bosses. | |
| Various inducements were also offered to mobilise voters, including cheap food, free cinema tickets or toys, correspondents say. | |
| There has been very little scrutiny of voting by Western election observers, many of whom stayed away. |