Russia's regional elections have as expected ended in an overwhelming victory for the ruling United Russia party. The party of both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appears to have won throughout the country.

United Russia won two-thirds of the vote in Moscow, ensuring that 73-year-old Yuri Luzhkov will continue as the capital's mayor, a post he has held for 17 years. The Communist Party ended on 13 percent in Moscow, but the other opposition parties failed to reach the seven percent electoral threshold.

The opposition parties say Sunday's regional elections were not free and fair. They complain that they were largely ignored by the media, that opposition posters were taken down and prohibitive entry requirements meant many candidates were unable to contest the poll. Former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov was not allowed to take part because it was alleged his party had handed in false signatures.

About 30 million Russians were eligible to vote on Sunday to elect new local councils and regional authorities in 76 of the country's 83 regions. Chechnya also went to the polls and so far reports indicate voting there passed off for the most part peacefully.

photo: Kremlin (Flickr/Alan Cordova)