22 September 2016, 22:13 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin commended Friday the Central Election Commission (CEC) and its chairwoman for its handling of the September 18 legislative elections he described as fair and competitive.
"You adequately handled your task and ensured that all political parties competed cleanly so that the citizens of our country could express their will," Putin told CEC chair Ella Pamfilova.
Pamfilova, in turn, argued that the vote was the cleanest in Russia's history.
“Overall, the number and the nature of complaints cannot influence the character, the legitimacy of the elections,” she told Putin.
The governing United Russia party gained 343 seats in the 450-seat State Duma, followed by the Communist Party with 42, the Liberal Democrat Party with 39, A Just Russia with 23 and one mandate apiece to the Rodina and Civic Platform parties.
