Brushing off US criticism of a one-sided election campaign, Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed victory early today after voters handed him an expected landslide win for a second four-year term.

Voter turnout in Russia’s presidential election exceeded the 50% threshold needed to make the vote valid, Russian news agencies quoted Central Election Commission chief Alexander Veshnyakov as saying hours before polls closed today.

Russians were voting today in a presidential poll that incumbent Vladimir Putin is expected to win in a landslide after a lacklustre campaign that gave most people little chance to hear from his challengers.

With incumbent Vladimir Putin assured of a second term, the Russian presidential election on Sunday has been called everything from a one-horse race to the starting gun for the campaign to succeed him in 2008.