Medvedev 带领俄国总统大选

MOSCOW, March 2 -- Dmitry Medvedev, first prime minister of Russian President Putin's cabinet, won nearly 70 percent of the accounted ballots in Sunday's presidential election, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC).

The CEC had accounted 65 percent of the received ballots in which Medvedev won 69.08 percent.

Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov was left far behind with 18.3 percent. Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky won 10.05 percent and Democratic Party leader Andrei Bogdanov 1.3 percent, CEC figures showed. 

Chairman of the CEC Vladimir Churov declared the election valid shortly after all the polling stations closed.

Putin hailed on Sunday night at the Red Square the victory of Medvedev in the presidential race.

"This victory will be a guarantee of maintaining the course we have chosen together and been implementing together. The course will continue," Putin told a celebration of Medvedev's supporters at the Red Square.

Medvedev, together with Putin, thanked all people who voted for him and pledged he will continue Putin's policy.

However, Zhirinovsky refused to recognize results of Sunday's presidential voting published by the CEC. He vowed to challenge the results in court, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

"Certainly, we will appeal to court ... I will not abandon my voters, I will stay together with them till the end," Zhirinovsky said.

Zyuganov also said he would appeal to court over alleged election falsifications.

"I have proof to election falsifications and will appeal to court," he was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

CEC Chairman Churov said the organization will win any court hearings initiated by Gennady Zyuganov and Vladimir Zhirinovsky in reply

"We have won all the lawsuits before," he said.

"Russian presidential election strictly complies with laws and international standards," observers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) said after the election.

Observers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has also declared the voting valid.

"We find that the election was legitimate, fair, open and guaranteed Russian citizens freedom of expression," Bolat Nurgaliyev, secretary general and head of the SCO observer mission said.

As of 19:00 Moscow time (1600 GMT), the voters turnout was about 64 percent, higher than the figure in 2004 presidential election, when it hit 61 percent, Churov said on Sunday evening.

A candidate must obtain more than 50 percent of the vote to win an outright victory. Otherwise, a run-off will be held between the top two front runners in the race.

The CEC said the country has 108.94 million eligible voters and 96,301 polling stations throughout the vast country. Russians residing abroad can vote at 364 polling stations in 142 countries. In some remote areas, voting started about two weeks before polling day.

The CEC will publish preliminary results at 10 a.m. Monday (07：00 GMT), and final results will be announced on Friday.

Incumbent President Putin is constitutionally barred from a third consecutive term.