Abramovich wins Chukotka election

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Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has been elected to parliament in the remote Chukotka region, only months after resigning as governor.

The Central Election Commission says Mr Abramovich won 97% of Sunday's vote to the regional parliament.

President Dmitry Medvedev had allowed him to step down as governor in July. Previously Vladimir Putin is thought to have refused to accept his resignation.

The owner of Chelsea FC is now expected to head the regional legislature.

Mr Abramovich became very popular in the remote Arctic region after investing millions of his own dollars there in social services.

Russian media suggested that Mr Abramovich had attempted repeatedly to leave his position as governor but that former President Putin was opposed to the move.

Mr Abramovich, 41, was ranked earlier this year by Forbes magazine as Russia's second wealthiest businessman with a reported capital of more than $24bn (£13.8bn).

He made his wealth in oil and natural resources, following the liberalisation of Russian markets in the late 1980s and 1990s.

However, there have been reports that his fortune has been heavily eroded by the crash in world stock markets.