David Cameron in Russia election blast as Vladimir Putin strengthens his power

dailyrecord.co.uk:

David Cameron has denounced the election in Russia which saw Vladimir Putin tighten his grip on power following the stifling of any real opposition.The Foreign Secretary said "this is not what free and fair elections look like" after early results on Sunday showed the Russian president won nearly 88% of the vote.The result, recorded by Russia's Central Election Commission, would be a record for Mr Putin, extending his nearly quarter-of-a-century rule for another six-year term.Mr Putin faced competition from only three candidates who had not criticised his rule nor his invasion of Ukraine.

All serious challengers were wiped out before voting began. Arch foe Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic prison last month.Other critics are either in jail or in exile.

Meanwhile, independent monitoring of the election was extremely limited, with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) not invited to observe the three-day vote.Lord Cameron tweeted: "The polls have closed in Russia, following the illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory, a lack of choice for voters and no independent OSCE monitoring.Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.