Russia’s ruling pro-Putin party wins majority after crackdown but loses some ground

The News Craving

By Andrew Osborn and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia’s ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, retained its parliamentary majority after an election and a sweeping crackdown on its critics, despite losing over a tenth of its support, partial results on Monday showed. With nearly 74% of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission said United Russia had won nearly 49% of the vote, with its nearest rival, the Communist Party, at about 20%. Although that amounts to an emphatic win, it looks like a somewhat weaker performance for United Russia th…

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