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| Putin ally Sergei Sobyanin wins Moscow mayor election | Putin ally Sergei Sobyanin wins Moscow mayor election |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Kremlin-backed candidate Sergei Sobyanin has won the election for mayor of Moscow, results released by Russian election officials indicate. | |
| After a nearly complete vote count, Mr Sobyanin secured 51.3% - just above the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second-round ballot. | After a nearly complete vote count, Mr Sobyanin secured 51.3% - just above the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second-round ballot. |
| His main rival, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, obtained 27.3%. | |
| He called for a run-off and refused to recognise the results, saying they had been "deliberately falsified". | |
| Mr Navalny said he had won enough votes to force a second round and that the count had been marred by "many serious violations". | Mr Navalny said he had won enough votes to force a second round and that the count had been marred by "many serious violations". |
| Mr Sobyanin said the election had been transparent and that a run-off ballot was unlikely. | |
| "Judging by the percentage of the counted ballots, we can say with a high certainty that there will be no second round," he told supporters earlier on Monday morning. | "Judging by the percentage of the counted ballots, we can say with a high certainty that there will be no second round," he told supporters earlier on Monday morning. |
| If there is any serious suggestion of the election being rigged, large-scale protests will probably return to Moscow's streets, the BBC's Daniel Sandford reports from Moscow. | If there is any serious suggestion of the election being rigged, large-scale protests will probably return to Moscow's streets, the BBC's Daniel Sandford reports from Moscow. |
| In late 2011, Moscow was the scene of the biggest anti-government protests since Soviet times after a general election marred by allegations of ballot-rigging. | In late 2011, Moscow was the scene of the biggest anti-government protests since Soviet times after a general election marred by allegations of ballot-rigging. |
| 'Putin decides' | 'Putin decides' |
| Turnout in the Moscow vote was low, with officials estimating the proportion of voters at around 32%. The Communist candidate, Ivan Melnikov, came third with 10.7%. | |
| Mr Navalny had earlier warned that if he was denied a run-off, he would "appeal to the citizens and ask them to take to the streets of Moscow". | Mr Navalny had earlier warned that if he was denied a run-off, he would "appeal to the citizens and ask them to take to the streets of Moscow". |
| "Right now Sobyanin and his main supporter Vladimir Putin are deciding whether to have a relatively honest election and to have a second round, or not," he said on Sunday, as partial results were still coming in. | "Right now Sobyanin and his main supporter Vladimir Putin are deciding whether to have a relatively honest election and to have a second round, or not," he said on Sunday, as partial results were still coming in. |
| The pro-democracy leader is currently on bail after being found guilty of embezzlement in what he insists was a political trial. | The pro-democracy leader is currently on bail after being found guilty of embezzlement in what he insists was a political trial. |
| In other mayoral votes on Sunday, anti-heroin campaigner Yevgeny Roizman won by a narrow majority in Yekaterinburg, the main city in Russia's Urals industrial zone, election officials say. | |
| Mr Roizman, a former MP often critical of Kremlin policy, defeated ruling party candidate Yakov Silin by a margin of 30% to 26%, according to preliminary results. Unlike Moscow, the city's mayor is elected by a simple majority in a single round. | |
| Mayoral elections were abolished in Moscow in 2004 but re-instated as a concession to pro-democracy campaigners. | Mayoral elections were abolished in Moscow in 2004 but re-instated as a concession to pro-democracy campaigners. |
| Mr Navalny ran a Western-style campaign, holding informal meetings with voters outside metro stations and using glossy posters of himself with his family. | Mr Navalny ran a Western-style campaign, holding informal meetings with voters outside metro stations and using glossy posters of himself with his family. |
| He is credited with bringing grassroots politics to the Russian capital, inspiring thousands of volunteers to support his campaign. | He is credited with bringing grassroots politics to the Russian capital, inspiring thousands of volunteers to support his campaign. |
| Mr Sobyanin became mayor in 2010 after Yuri Luzhkov, who had governed the city for almost two decades, was forced out of office. | Mr Sobyanin became mayor in 2010 after Yuri Luzhkov, who had governed the city for almost two decades, was forced out of office. |
| The Kremlin-backed candidate has kept a low profile during the race, shunning debates with the five other candidates. | The Kremlin-backed candidate has kept a low profile during the race, shunning debates with the five other candidates. |
| In all, six candidates stood in the election. | In all, six candidates stood in the election. |