Chechnya boosts Putin re-election with almost 100% of the votes

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was re-elected for a fifth time in elections that were considered neither free nor fair, received 98.99% of the votes in the republic of Chechnya in the northern Caucasus, his best result nationwide.

According to the electoral commission on Monday, voter turnout stood at 97% in the Russian republic, even higher than the 91.44% seen in 2018 and the highest figure in this year's elections.

Chechnya, which is led by Ramzan Kadyrov, has traditionally been reporting high voter turnout and strong support for Putin. The Kremlin leader, now headed for another six-year term, garnered his best result there in 2012, with 99.76%.

However, voting in Chechnya, is considered even more fraught than in the rest of Russia, with observers reporting of repression and force in the region.

Kadyrov, who portrays himself as a loyal Putin supporter, is accused of serious human rights violations and political contract killings.

While premier, Putin sent troops into the republic in 1999 which had previously declared independence from Russia, which led to the capital Grozny being completely destroyed.

Putin also won some 90% of the votes across the other Caucasus republics in last week's presidential elections that began on Friday and in which he faced no real challenger.

With nearly all votes counted, the electoral commission awarded Putin a record-breaking win of almost 88%, the best result in all of his four previous elections.

International observers did not monitor the election across the vast country which reaches across 11 time zones. The vote which ended on Sunday was accompanied by numerous protests by thousands of his opponents.

The first meaningful results should be available on Monday. In past elections, the forecasts have been in line with the final result.