Samara held mayoral elections on October 22 with a 44.4% turnout.
Viktor Tarkhov, a member of the local parliament and head of the regional branch of the Russian Party of Life, defeated Georgy Limansky, the incumbent mayor and United Russia's candidate, by a 16% vote margin, the election committee said.
The Party of Life, the nationalist Rodina (Motherland) and the Party of Pensioners announced in late August they would unite to form an alliance capable of playing an influential role in the country's political life.
Sergei Mironov, leader of the Party of Life and speaker of the Federation Council, said in September that although there was little chance of overturning the dominance of pro-presidential United Russia in the State Duma, he was optimistic about the new party's appeal with voters.
Mironov said that the new party would take up opposition to United Russia, the current "party of power," which holds a massive majority in the Duma.
"We oppose the very essence of United Russia as the monopoly political force of the party of power," said Mironov, widely seen as a loyal supporter of President Vladimir Putin.
