MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Liberal Democrats gained 18.39% of votes, the Communist party — 17.24%, a Just Russia — 6.24%, according to preliminary data of the Central Election Commission.
Earlier in the day, an exit poll by Russian public opinion researcher VTsIOM predicted that United Russia would secure 44.5 percent of votes, down from 49.32 percent in 2011. According to the exit poll, the Liberal Democrats look set to grab 15.3 percent of votes, trailed by the Communists with 14.9 percent and center-left A Just Russia with 8.1 percent.
According to the Election Commission, United Russia would get 65 seats in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament in single-mandate electoral districts as 6.72% of votes have been counted.
The Russians were electing 450 members of parliament for the next five years. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s United Russia dominated State Duma’s outgoing convocation with 238 seats.
