MOSCOW, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's major political party, led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, topped Sunday's polls to legislatures in all nine participating regions, its first election test since the country was hit by a financial crisis last year.
United Russia, which dominates in the federal parliament, polled from 42.5% of the vote in the Nenents Autonomous District in Siberia to over 72% in the southern republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, according to provisional results issued by the Central Election Commission.
The opposition Communist Party, which came in a distant second in the majority of regions, but won in the central Russian city of Tver, has complained about pressure on voters and other election violations.
Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the Russian Communist Party, said the election was "the dirtiest in the last 15 years" and urged Vladimir Churov, the head of the Central Election Commission to "shave off his beard."
Before the 2007 parliamentary elections in Russia, Churov pledged to shave off his beard if the polls were unfair and the results falsified.
Kremlin loyalists A Just Russia and the Liberal Democrats are also set to make it in the regional assemblies.
By-elections to local legislatures were held in another 15 Russian regions, and voters in 10 cities cast their ballots in mayoral elections.
Russia is experiencing a slump after a decade of economic growth mainly driven by high energy prices. Millions of people have lost their jobs in Russia as businesses close or introduce cost cutting policies which have seen thousands of workers laid off.
