Election result paves way for more power to Putin

The main pro-Kremlin party competing in Russia's parliamentary elections was leading with a wide margin over the second-polling party, the Communists, the first exit poll results showed last night.

According to an exit poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation for Russia's Channel One state television, United Russia had 37% and the Communists had 15%.

They were followed by the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia with 12%, the Homeland bloc with 9%, and the two Western-leaning parties with 6% each.