Early results in Russian election suggest lead for pro-Putin party

The election on Sunday lacked significant opposition presence after authorities declared organisations linked to imprisoned Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent foe, to be extremist

A man casts his ballot at a polling station at the Kazansky railway station during the Parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Voting has ended in Russia’s parliamentary election and the country’s elections commission says early results from a limited number of polling stations show the country’s Kremlin-loyal United Russia party in the lead.

Results from nearly 9% of the country’s polling stations give the United Russia party 38% of the vote for the 225 deputies apportioned by party lists, according to the commission.