From the article:
European election monitors said Monday that Russia’s parliamentary ballot was unfair, hours after President Vladimir Putin’s party swept 70 percent of the seats in the new legislature.

The victory paves the way for Putin to remain Russia’s de facto leader even after he leaves office next spring. On Monday, Putin described the weekend’s election as a vote of confidence in him.

“I headed the United Russia ticket and, of course, it’s a sign of public trust,” Putin said in televised remarks.

Sunday’s vote followed a tense Kremlin campaign that relied on a combination of persuasion and intimidation to ensure victory for the United Russia party and for Putin, who has used a flood of oil revenues to move his country into a more assertive position on the global stage.

Opposition leader Garry Kasparov denounced the legitimacy of the vote.

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