Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media at his election headquarters in Moscow, Russia, on March 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Wei Lianglei)
MOSCOW, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin was elected president for the fourth time in a landslide victory on Sunday, gaining "unprecedented" public support throughout his campaigns.
Putin won more than 76.6 percent of ballots after 99.83 percent of votes have been counted in Sunday's presidential election, the Central Election Commission (CEC) Chair Ella Pamfilova said, citing preliminary data.
In accordance with the law, a candidate garnering more than half of the votes goes to the Kremlin. Putin got 52.9 percent of votes in 2000, 71.3 percent in 2004 and 63.6 percent in 2012.
According to the CEC, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, Putin's nearest rival, got 11.9 percent of votes, while the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, received 5.66 percent. Five other candidates gained substantially less support.
Some 73.4 million Russians, or 67.5 percent of the whole population, cast their ballots, and possible loopholes had been avoided by lawmakers to ensure transparency and openness of the presidential campaigns, said Valentina Matvienko, Russian parliament's upper house speaker.
About 275,000 law enforcement officers were deployed to ensure law and order at the polling stations, the Interior Ministry said in a statement, adding that there were no violations that could affect the course or results of the election.
Putin, 65, first became Russian president in 2000, re-elected in 2004, and became president for the third time in 2012 after serving as prime minister for four years. He announced seeking a fourth term in late 2017 under the campaign slogan of "Strong President, Strong Russia."
At a rally outside the Red Square in Moscow on Sunday night, Putin thanked his supporters across the country and stressed the importance of preserving national unity.
At his campaign headquarters, Putin chanted "Russia! Russia! Russia!" with the personnel there, saying that "We will think about the future of our great motherland and the future of our children."
He called on all Russian political forces to work together on the "very complicated" state tasks guided by national interests, urging extraordinary efforts to make new breakthroughs.
The president said he plans to reshuffle the government after his inauguration on May 7 and will consider prime minister and other government members from now on. When asked if people will see a new Putin in the next six years, he said "We are all changing."
When asked about Russia's relationship with China, Putin said China is Russia's strategic partner and bilateral relations are at an "unprecedentedly high" level, which Russia values very much.
He said his country will make every effort to expand cooperation with China, including the connection between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union.
The Belt and Road Initiative -- the initiative on the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road -- aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
As for relations with the European countries, Putin said Russia is ready to work with them to settle any disputes, citing the allegations that Russia was involved in the chemical attack against ex-spy Sergei Skripal in Britain as "complete nonsense."
Since Putin was elected president for the first time in 2000, Russia has recovered from the collapse of the former Soviet Union and cemented its status as a big power.
With actions such as anti-terrorist operations in Syria, Putin has built up his prestige among Russians and gained additional influence in the global arena.
He has created a political system necessary to respond to any challenges, said Alexei Mukhin, director general of the Center for Political Information, a Moscow-based think tank.
