Vladimir Putin won for the Fourth Time the Russian Presidential Elections

Almost 55.5 million voters supported his candidacy in the election that took place on Sunday paving the way for Putin, 65, to lead the country until 2024 after which he is constitutionally obliged to stand down, Sputnik news agency reported.

The turnout at the election was 67.47 per cent, the CEC reported. The main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race because of an embezzlement conviction that he said was manufactured by the Kremlin.

Addressing a rally in Moscow, Putin said the voters had “recognised the achievements of the last few years”. Speaking to reporters after the results were announced, he laughed off a question about running again in another six years. “What you are saying is a bit funny. Do you think that I will stay here until I’m 100 years old? No!” he said.

World leaders congratulated Putin on his re-election but no Western leaders responded to his victory due to deepening tensions with Moscow in recent weeks after the poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain, which the UK government blamed on Russia, the BBC reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country’s partnership with Russia was at its “best level in history”.

The leaders of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba were among those who also sent their best wishes.

However, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas questioned the fairness of the election and said Russia would remain a “difficult partner”, but added: “We want to remain in dialogue.”

The scale of victory —which had been widely predicted — appeared to be a marked increase in his share of the vote from 2012, when he won 64 per cent.

The previous election record was set by Dmitry Medvedev in 2008, who won 52.5 million votes with just under 70 per cent turnout.