Putin leads with 87.9 pct of votes after 26.17 percent of ballots counted

Russia's incumbent President Vladimir Putin amassed 87.9 percent of votes in the presidential elections with 26.17 percent of ballots counted by late on Sunday, said the Central Election Commission.

The government-run exit polls showed he had won a landslide, the vote in the three-day election. The exit polls were released following the closure of polling stations in Russia’s westernmost region of Kaliningrad on Sunday.If confirmed, the result would be a record for Putin, who received 76.7% of the vote in the last presidential election in 2018. Putin is now poised to extend for six more years having presided.